
Glass 3-1/6 54„ 

Book ._0_ 

GoipghtN"___ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



\ 



THE CHURCHMEMBER'S GUIDE 

AND 

COMPLETE CHURCH MANUAL 



OTHER GUIDES EDITED FOR 
PHIL BARBOUR JONES 

The Southern Business Guide and Cotton Cal- 
culator. Cloth, 626 pages. 

The Right Way ; or, Business and Law. Cloth, 
over 600 pages. 

= PUBLISHED BY = 

The Southwestern Company 

NASHVILLE, - - - TENNESSEE 



^■^^^r^ 




< 

Q 
O 

X 

u 
ex: 

D 
X 
O 

u 
X 



zCM> 



The 

Churchmember s 

Guide and Complete 

Church Manual 



A Handy Volume Prepared Especially for the Use 
of Members of the Baptist, Christian, Methodist 
Episcopal, and Presbyterian Churches in Their 
Southern Branches; Containing a History of Each 
Denomination, a Statement of Its Faith and Doc- 
trine and Government and Law ; the Proper Forms 
in Each for the Observance of the Ordinances 
of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; Instruction in 
the Conduct of Church Business; How to Hold 
Various Kinds of Church Meetings, and Other In- 
formation Valuable and Useful to Ministers, Church- 
members, and Church Workers of All Denominations. 



BY 

MONTGOMERY F. ESSIG 

Author of "A Military History of the Russo-Japanese War " 
and "A Two-Years' Course of Reading for Beginners." 



NASHVILLE. TENN. 

THE SOUTHWESTERN COMPANY 

MACON. GA. TOPEKA. KAN. WACO. TEX. 



UBRARY6f CONGRESS J 


Two Cooies 


nCCClVCu 


APR 13 


190? 


A Copyriffht Entry 
OlASS A XXc,N«. 
COPY B. 






Copyright. 1907 

BY 

Ph!i Barbour Jones 



CONTENTS 

Page 



Preface 



PART I. 

THE churches: history, doctrine, government, 
laws, forms, methods. 

General Introduction 1 1 

The Baptist church i6 

The Disciples of Christ 42 

The Methodist Episcopal church 64 

The Presbyterian church 106 

PART II. 

THE RIGHT WAY TO DO CHURCH WORK. 

How TO Conduct Meetings 147 

Prayer Meetings 149 

Experience Meetings 158 

Watch Meetings 164 

Rally Meetings 168 

Love Feasts 174 

Sunday-schools 178 

PART III. 

information for churchmembers. 

Information for Churchmembers 199 

A Short History of Christianity 201 

Parliamentary Law Simplified 214 

(5) 



6 Contents 4^ 

Page 

Churches and the Civil Law 224 

The Duties of a Churchmember 226 

How to Work for Christ 230 

Things Churchmembers Should Know . . . 234 

Forms and Ceremonies 246 

Church Register. 270 

Index 279 

^ ^ ^ 



PREFACE 

The, publishers of this httle book long since en- 
countered the need for a manual for the use of 
churchmembers and others actively engaged in 
church work, particularly in the Southern states. 
While it is true that the various churches have their 
handbooks, they are not in such form as tO' be of 
much value to the average member of church, be- 
ing either too formal in their language or toO' tech- 
nical to be followed readily. 

Experience has shown that a small volume, giving 
in concise, easily understood terms the history and 
doctrine of the various denominations, their differ- 
ent methods of church government, their equally dif- 
ferent manners of observing the ordinances of The 
Lord's Supper and Baptism, forms for conducting 
business meetings, the duties of churchmembers in 
the official work of the church, proper rules for 
holding prayer meetings and all other sorts of 
meetings, and items of useful information per- 
taining to church work, is a great and crying need. 
Probably seven out o-f every ten churchmembers 
are ignorant of their faith's history and not suffi- 
ciently conversant with its doctrines. At least, 
so the writer has found in gathering data for this 
volume. To fill these wants the following pages 
have been prepared, the publishers knowing that 
their labor cannot fail to bring the congregation 
closer to the pastor, if the latter will suggest to his 
people the purchase and study of the book. 

(7) 



8 Preface * 

It has been the aim of the pubHshers and the 
writer to be exact in all respects, and to place the 
information before the reader in the simplest form 
possible, and at the same time give the work a high 
educational value. No member of church should be 
without knowledge of his denomination, its history, 
its laws, its forms, and the manner in which it con- 
ducts its meetings, both for the purpose of worship 
and for business. There should be at hand, when- 
ever the need arises, some work O'f reference show- 
ing the right way of taking part in meetings and all 
sorts O'f church gatherings; for tO' do things in the 
right way is only to give further glory to God. In 
the compilation of the book care has been taken not 
to make one denomination greater or better than 
another. The arrangement of the four churches is 
by alphabetical precedence only. 

And so, with fullest reverence and with the hope 
that its readers may find in it much that is valuable, 
as well as much that is uplifting and spiritually 
beneficial, this churchmember's guide is sent out 
upon its mission. Montgomery F. Essig. 

Nashville, Tenn., i March, 1907. 



* 



PART I. 

THE CHURCHES: HISTORY. DOCTRINE. 

GOVERNMENT. LAWS. FORMS 

AND METHODS 



Ufon this rock I will build 7ny church. 

— Matthew xvi. i8. 



THE CHURCHMEMBER'S GUIDE 

' This book has three distinct purposes. 

urposes rj.^^ ^^^^ .^ ^^ -^ ^^^ reader a concise, 

of the ^ ' 

Manual, correct, and easily understood account of 

the five Protestant denominations which 
do most of the work accomplished in the Southern 
states for the advancement of God's kingdom. This 
account will include the history of each denomina- 
tion, and describe its faith, government, laws, and 
methods of conducting business, and explain the 
manner in which each one carries out the ordinances 
of The Lord's Supper and Baptism. The second 
purpose of the book is to give proper and practical 
methods for holding various kinds of congregational 
meetings for worship. The third purpose is to sup- 
ply useful information upon a variety O'f topics re- 
lating to religion, churches, and church work. 

In order to guide the reader readily tO' whatever 
topic is being sought, there will be. found on the 
left-hand side of the pages, in bolder, blacker type 
than the body of the book, a few wo^rds which will 
show what subject is being treated in the accom- 
panying paragraph and the ones ensuing, as far as 
the next black type. As an illustration, the reader 
will notice that at the beginning of this page are 
the words, in black type, ''Purposes of the Manual," 
which words are descriptive of the two^ paragraphs 
that follow. The next black type reads "Churches 
and Their Meaning," and this is descriptive oif the 
subject discussed until the succeeding black type is 

(II) 



12 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

reached. Care will be taken, when speaking of the 
respective churches, to make these guide-posts as 
nearly alike as possible, sO' that, in each church, the 
reader can turn readily to ''government,'' "The 
Lord's Supper," ''history," or whatever subject is 
being sought. But before discussing the churches, 
however, it has been thought necessary tO' give some 
idea of what the word "church" means, and to tell 
what constitutes a church, as well as what are the 
general qualifications needed for membership in one. 
"Church" is derived from a Greek word 
and^Thelr i^^^ning "the lord's house." In Eng- 
Meaning. Hsh it has three different and distinct 
definitions. The first and broadest is 
when it is used to indicate the entire number of 
men, women, and children, no matter what their 
denomination, all over the world, who believe in 
Christ and follow His teachings — in other words, 
Christendom or all Christianity. In this sense the 
word is properly written or printed with a capital c. 
The second meaning of "church" is when it is used 
as a word expressing a denomination, as The Bap- 
tist church, or The Methodist church, or The Pres- 
byterian church. In this sense it is properly writ- 
ten or printed with a small c. The third and last 
meaning, as well as the one miore generally used, 
describes a particular congregation, as "We are go- 
ing to church," or Zion Methodist church, or Berea 
Baptist church. In this sense also the word is prop- 
erly written or printed with a small c. 

What is a church? A church is a congregation 
or assembly of baptized followers of Christ, be- 
lieving in God the Father, God the Son, and God 
the Holy Spirit ; acknowledging the Father as Cre- 
ator, the Son as Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as 
Sanctifier and Comif orter ; believing also in the Bible 



^ The Churchmember's Guide 13 

as God's Word, maintaining God's ordinances, meet- 
ing together for worship, working for the exten- 
sion of Christ's kingdom on earth, and, above all, 
obeying the commands of God the Father and God 
the Son. 

There are a number of things needed 

Requisites - - i -i i 

^^^ before a man or a woman or a child 

Membersjiip. is qualified for membership in a 
church. Three of these necessary- 
things are moral and one is ceremonial. The three 
moral things are repentance, faith, and obedience. 
The ceremonial qualification is baptism. For all 
of the moral needs there is a base in words uttered 
by Jesus Christ, "Repent ye and believe the gospel" 
(Mark i. 15); "If ye have faith . . . nothing 
shall be impossible unto you" (Matt, xviii. 20) ; 
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth 
the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt, 
vii. 21). For the ceremonial qualification of bap- 
tism. Christians have the example of the Master 
Himself, as well as His command : "Go ye therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost" (Matt, xxviii. 19). 

After baptism the qualifications and requisites for 
church membership are many and varied. They 
may be summed up, however, in a few words. The 
baptized follower of Christ must be full of faith, 
must try to live free from sin, must obey God's 
wishes as laid down in the Ten Commandments 
and in the two great Commandments that Christ 
gave, and must, from time to time, partake, with 
reverence and gladness, of Christ's most holy institu- 
tion. The Lord's Supper. Above all, the baptized 
follower of Christ should pray often, giving thanks 



14 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

to the Father for His goodness and mercy, and hum- 
bly asking such things of God that God, in His 
wisdom, may see fit to grant. The habit of prayer 
is one of the greatest means of attaining spiritual 
grace. Only one other habit approaches it in this 
respect — that of daily devotion at the family fireside. 

From times that are lost in the dark- 
Why Churches - - , - , 
^^^ ness of the past men, moved by 

Formed. common motives and aiming to 

reach a common end, have banded 

together for the purpose of mutual support. There 

is no truer saying than "In union there is strength." 

This is especially true in reference to the affairs of 

Christianity. God's people on earth need all the 

strength they can get to carry on the fight against 

Satan, to aid them: in following the Master, and to 

extend His kingdom here. 

From the very day on which Christ died Chris- 
tians have banded together in communities. In 
the early days of the Church this union was mainly 
for self-preservation, because of the persecutions 
that Christians suffered. But, when pagan efforts 
to stamp out Christianity ended, the assemblies thus 
formed continued to exist. The leaders knew the 
value of such union, and it never has been aban- 
doned. When Christianity split up' into different 
denominations, each following the worship of God 
as seemed best to it, these organizations were main- 
tained. 

There is every reason tO' believe that this will 
coutifTQe to be so throughout the ages. Mutual sup- 
port and interest always are needed to insure the 
success of any work in which a large number of 
people are engaged, and many persons can do a 
given piece of work better and faster than one per- 
son, Nq man can worship God and do his duty 



^ The Churchmember's Guide 15 

toward Christ by himself. Such a condition is 
against the teachings of the Bible, as well as against 
the practical laws of life; Of course, a man can 
be good and honest, and do unto his neighbor as 
he would have his neighbor do unto him, and dO' it 
all outside of a church ; but he cannot be a good and 
consistent Christian in that way. 

Therefore, membership in a church is necessary 
to the leading of a Christian life. This brings us 
to the subject of the chief churches that are working 
for the advancement of Christ's kingdom in the 
South. 

^ * * 



THE BAPTIST CHURCH 

The real origin of the Baptists, as a de- 
nlfJ^l^'^: nomination, is almost lost in the maze of 

Origin of ' 

Baptists, history. To trace it we must go back 
to the days oi the early Church and ex- 
amine the causes that led to the break-up of that 
Church as Christ delivered it to His disciples. 

The first thing tO' be considered is the manner 
of administering the ordinance of baptism. Bap- 
tists declare that in the days of Christ and for many 
centuries later this was done solely by immersion, 
or plunging the entire head and body of the per- 
son being baptized beneath the surface of the water. 
This was the way in which the Jews, prior to Christ's 
time, performed a certain number of cleansing rites, 
and Baptists say that it was the way in which John 
the Baptist baptized those that came to him, notably 
our Lord Himself. They also state that it was the 
method pursued by the disciples, and the apostles, 
and their successors for many generations. Sprin- 
kling and pouring. Baptists hold, were not employed, 
except in cases of grave emergency, or for the 
sick; and even then baptism was repeated, if pos- 
sible, in the customary way, when circumstances per- 
mitted. 

Along about the year looo, or ten centuries after 
Christ died, there crept into the early Church, Bap- 
tists hold, a wider use of sprinkling or pouring in- 
stead O'f immersion. This was due, it is thought, 

to the ever-increasing magnificence of the ceremonial 
i6) 



^ The Baptist Church 17 

forms used by the Roman church, and the inability 
of the priesthood to give the ordinance the grandeur 
they thought necessary, when performed by immer- 
sion. Whatever the cause, sprinkHng or pouring 
became almost general. There were many, how- 
ever, who saw in it a departure from the way in 
which the Baptists state Christ was baptized, and 
they considered it unlawful. At a later time they 
also objected to the baptism of infants, declaring 
that only those sufficiently advanced in years to 
know the meaning of religious things, and under- 
stand them to the point of belief, should receive 
baptism. 

The number of persons who objected to baptism 
by sprinkling or pouring increased. Baptist belief 
and principles, Baptists declare, are clearly traceable 
through a series of sects in existence from apostolic 
times onward, but it is not until the year 1500 or 
thereabouts that we are able to find the formation 
of any definite community standing clearly for the 
Baptist faith and Baptist ideals. About this time 
set in what is known as the Reformation. This 
was a movement of protest against the evils that 
had grown up in the Roman church, and was led 
by Martin Luther and others. From it we get the 
term ^Trotestant." The believers in baptism by 
immersion took part in it; but, sad to relate, all 
parts of the following of Christ were at war with 
each other for many years, until, by the grace of 
God, each party was allowed to pursue its own way 
and thought unmolested. But, before the spirit of 
toleration that we now enjoy came to pass, hun- 
dreds of thousands of persons perished in battle or 
by persecution, because of the variance in religious 
faith. 

The first actual Baptist community, founded on 



18 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

modern lines, seems to have been formed in Swit- 
zerland about the year 1520, three years after Luther 
began the Reformation in Germany. The Swiss, 
from the earliest times, had been a most independent 
people, and had, under a reformer named Zwingli, 
begun war on the Romanists, as had Luther. The 
Baptists, however, found themselves between two 
fires. Zwingli himself, although a Protestant, per- 
secuted them, and so did the Romanists; but nev- 
ertheless the movement grew and spread to Holland 
and to Germany. Luther was more concerned with 
other forms of Romanist abuse than baptism by 
sprinkling and did not pay very much attention to the 
Swiss and other Baptists, who alsO' seem to have 
had points of error in their faith and practice. Final- 
ly the movement spread to England, and there, it 
may be. said, the real Baptist faith of the present 
day began. The Swiss and their German and Dutch 
brethren had the germ of it, but the English stripped 
it of its errors and kept only those parts of it that 
were good. This was in the reigns of Henry VHL 
and his daughter. Queen Elizabeth. 

It took almost one hundred years for the 
Churches English Baptists to purify the faith of 
Growth, some of the things that were harmful to it, 
to become established thoroughly, to avoid 
being drawn into the disputes between Henry VHL 
and the Pope, to avoid being absorbed by the Eng- 
lish church that resulted from those disputes, and 
to weather, the storm of persecution that arose. 
Troubles also sprung up within which had to be 
settled, but, whatever the points upon which dis- 
agreement came, immersion always seems to have 
been agreed upon by all Baptists. 

To describe the trials and tribulations of the faith 
during these years would require many volumes. 



* The Baptist Church 19 

for its members suffered great persecution, not only 
at the hands of the Romanists, but from the Prot- 
estants as well. Many died the death of the mar- 
tyr for the sake of their belief, and many more were 
throwai into jail, but still they managed to- exist and 
to grow, waxing stronger and stronger in England 
during the reigns oi Elizabeth, James L, and 
Charles I. 

When the people of England rose up against the 
latter king the Baptists were a strong and recog- 
nized denomination, and did valiant service in the 
overthrow of Charles by Cromwell. Cromwell 
himself, although by faith a Puritan and Round- 
head, had much of Baptist independence and aggres- 
siveness. John Milton, the author of ''Paradise 
Lost," was a Baptist, and held high office under 
Cromwell. There also were other Baptists high 
in Cromwell's council, while John Bunyan, the au- 
thor of 'The Pilgrim's Progress," was a member 
of the Baptist faith, and a preacher of it. 

Out of the troubles in England, lead- 
The c^hurch '^^S W ^^ ^^e revolt under Cromwell, 
in America, grew the planting of the Baptist faith 

in America. Before the Puritans and 
Roundheads took up arms against Charles and be- 
headed him, many of them came to America, which 
then was a vast wilderness inhabited only by In- 
dians and wild beasts. They landed in 1620 in 
what is now Massachusetts, and formed several col- 
onies. A little later another colony w^as formed at 
a place called Salem, also in Massachusetts. These 
colonies set up the worship of God in the perfect 
freedom they desired, according to their own ideas, 
and it is this freedom that always has been one of 
the great principles of the Baptist faith. In this 
country only was it finally to be realized. 



20 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

One of the preachers at Salem was Roger Wil- 
liams. He became a convert to Baptist principles, 
but his views, as he preached them, were entirely 
too broad to suit the narrow-minded Puritans. He 
and his following were bitterly persecuted, so the 
liberty-loving preacher and his people were forced 
to depart, journeying through, the wilderness to 
what is now Rhode Island. There they founded a 
colony — the first real Baptist community in Amer- 
ica — and called it Providence. This was in 1636. 
Later Williams was joined by another Baptist 
preacher, John Clarke, and between these two sturdy 
Christians and pioneers the foundation of the Bap- 
tist faith in America was laid. 

The time now was ripe for the rapid spread of 
the denomination. In New England, Puritanism, 
with its grim, brutal, and often bloody intolerance, 
drove many men and women of broader mind to 
seek freedom of religious thought elsewhere. Many 
of them joined Williams and his Baptists, and the 
faith spread as settlements came into existence along 
the Atlantic seaboard southward, and in what is now 
known as the Middle States. A strong Baptist com- 
munity was formed near Philadelphia, and for many 
years after the founding of that city in 1682 Bap- 
tists were almost as strong there as the Friends or 
Quakers, who established it. Baptist principles and 
worship early secured a foothold in the South, the 
first church being started in Charleston, South Car- 
olina, in 1684. Virginia saw its first church built 
in 1714, North Carolina in 1727, and Maryland, a 
strong Roman Catholic colony, in 1772. 

The first Baptist association at which 
Growth in delegates from the various churches 
America. were present assembled in Philadelphia 

in 1707. Prior to this there had been 



^ The Baptist Church 21 

gatherings each year, but they were hardly more 
than local affairs, as traveling in those days was 
both difficult and dangerous. From this Philadel- 
phia meeting, however, much missionary work was 
done throughout the colonies, and thereafter the 
churches multiplied apace. The Revolutionary War 
gave to the Baptists their greatest forward move- 
ment. The English church long before had planted 
many parishes in the colonies and had sent numbers 
of its clergy to govern them, thus founding what 
is now known as The Protestant Episcopal church. 
But, when the war between the colonies and the 
mother-country broke out, these parishes almost dis- 
appeared, because of the hatred of England and all 
things English. Many men and women belonging 
to this church joined the Baptists, and, in 1784, 
before the Revolution had closed, there were no 
less than 151 Baptist churches in America. These 
151 houses of God had 4,783 members, an almost 
tenfold increase in a single generation. But this 
increase was not to be compared with that of 1800, 
sixteen years later, when there were 1,200 churches 
and almost 100,000 members. No other denomina- 
tion in America could show such results for the 
same period of time. 

There can be no doubt that, in the formation of 
this great republic, both before and after the Revolu- 
tion, Baptist men and Baptist principles played a 
large and prominent part. External, as well as 
internal, evidence shows that they greatly influenced 
Washington, Jefferson, and Madison in laying the 
foundations of a free government, a free church, 
and a free press. 

After the year 1800 growth was slower, but 
steady, although the denomination occasionally was 
torn by dissension. In 18 14 the Baptists of the 



22 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

United States met at Philadelphia, and formed the 
General Baptist Convention, and, later, established 
the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions and the Bap- 
tist Home Missionary Society. In the neighbor- 
hood of 1815 began the series of troubles that re- 
sulted in secession from the faith of the followers 
o>f the Reverend Alexander Campbell, and the foun- 
dation of the denomination know^n as The Disciples 
of Christ, or The Christian church, together with a 
number of other factional offshoots, many of which 
continued to call themselves -Baptists. 

When the question of slavery began to 
Church^ in agitate the country, long before the out- 
the South, break of the Civil War, one of the first 
places where discussion arose was the 
council of the denomination. The ffiction con- 
tinued for years, and, under the circumstances, could 
have but one result. This came in the year 1845, 
when, at Augusta, Georgia, the Baptists of the 
South withdrew from the General Convention and 
formed the Southern Baptist Convention, which 
still endures, stronger than ever and gaining 
strength yearly. 

The denomination is far stronger in the South — 
or rather in the sixteen states and territories fo'rmh 
ing the Southern Baptist Convention — than in the 
No-rth, although the Northern wing has a far great- 
er extent of territory in which to work. The period 
of the Civil War was a most serious one for the 
faith, as it was indeed for the entire nation, but 
the Baptists emerged from it proportionately 
stronger than before. 

Church statistics for the year 1905 show 
of the ^ ^^^^^ ^^ '^ y^99 A^7 white Baptists in 

Baptists, the South. They have 809 associations 

and 21,802 different churches, valued at 



Hh The Baptist Church 23 

the enoirmO'Us total of $25,471,209. Added to this 
number are 1,941,653 colored Baptists, with about 
21,000 churches. In the other states there are 
1,090,176 members, which gives the South the 
proud distinction of the greatest strength. Other 
lands have 890,866 Baptists, bringing the grand 
total of the denomination in the world to 5,842,142. 
Including North and South and the colored Bap- 
tists there w^ere, in 1905, 46,583 Baptist churches 
in America to 7,239 in the rest of the world, and 
33,261 ministers there to 4,036 elsewhere. The 
value of the entire American property of the de- 
nomination was $106,209,716, and the annual ex- 
penses were $14,061,549. In 1905 the South alone, 
in its white churches, spent $4,600,000 in expenses, 
and gave more than $900,000 to missions and $575,- 
000 to other benevolences. 

The Baptists long have been ardent work- 
and ^^^ ^^ ^^^ mission fields. Vast sums of 

Schools, money have been spent carrying the 

Word of God to the heathen, and many 
devoted men and women have gained the crown of 
martyrdom in the blessed work. In 1905 there 
were 712 foreign missionaries working in the name 
of the American Baptists alone, and there were no 
less than 2,375 churches in foreign fields. 

Nor has Christian education been neglected by 
the Baptists. The first denominational college in 
America was established by them, and all over the 
land, but chiefly in the South, there are great Bap- 
tist schools and colleges. All told, the denomina- 
tion controls in America 9 seminaries, 97 universi- 
ties and colleges, and 106 academies, worth more 
than $50,000,000 and attended by more than 50,000 
students. It has a vast press, with publishing houses 
at Philadelphia, Nashville, and Charleston. 



24 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

The Baptist belief is not a complicated 

Baptists ^^^' ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ place, Baptists insist 
Believe. Upon baptism by immersion. Their 
reason for this is twofold. They hold 
it to be the only proper method for the administra- 
tion of the ordinance, since by it, they claim, Christ 
was baptized; and they also hold it to be symbolic 
of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, in that 
the baptized one thereby symbolically assumes a 
new relation toward God, dying to sin, going down 
to burial in the water, and from thence rising into 
newness of life. 

This, in substance, is the core of the Baptist 
faith, although it was not finally reached until long 
after the origin O'f the denomination. There are 
other points, however, to which the Baptists attach 
great importance. They do- not believe in the gen- 
eral baptism of infants as practiced by some of the 
other denominations. It long was the prevalent 
belief among those not connected with the Baptists 
that the faith insisted that those seeking baptism 
should be of adult age. This is erroneous. What 
the denomination does insist upon in this respect is 
that the person, who. may be a child of twelve years 
or even younger, shall have reached a realization 
of his or her sins, shall have expressed repentance 
publicly, manifested a desire to obtain remission of 
sin and to secure salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, 
and given the church proof of the same. 

It must not be understood that Baptists believe 
baptism actually washes away sin. The act is 
purely a symbol, they hold, in this respect, and the 
cleansing, therefore, can be no more than symbolic. 
Actual remission of sin, they hold, comes through 
belief, repentance, and the determination to serve 
Christ, and to depend upon Him for salvation. 



^ The Baptist Church 25 

Baptists believe in the Bible as the inspired Word 
of God, and as the supreme standard of faith and 
practice, as well as containing God's revelation to 
man. With regard to confessions of faith, or dec- 
larations of belief, the freedom of government upon 
which the denomination prides itself forbids the 
absolute formulation of any one declaration and 
the binding of all churches to it. Each church may- 
have its own declaration, if it'so^ desires, but it may 
not depart from the fundamental doctrines and 
principles of the faith. 

Various declarations have been made from time 
to time. That formulated in London in 1660 was 
the first to obtain wide adhesion. It was modified 
in 1689 by the General Association in England, and 
came to be the basis of the one made by the faith 
in Philadelphia about 17 10. This and a declara- 
tion made in New Hampshire are the ones tO' which 
American Baptists generally subscribe. 

Since the time of Charles II., of England, there 
have been two- shades of thought in the faith re- 
garding the character of Christ's vicarious atone- 
ment ior the sins of man in His death upon the 
cross. One wing^ called the Particular Baptists, 
declares that the atonement was only for the elect, 
a view based somewhat upon the theology of Calvin. 
It is opposed to the wing known as General Bap- 
tists, w^hich holds that the atonement was for all 
men. Of recent years, however, there has been a 
gradual modification of these views. 

The TOvernment of a Baptist church 
Baptist . "^ . , _ , , , 

Church ^^ most Simple. Every church is a 

Government, law unto itself — a republic which ac- 
knowledges no lord save God. Bap- 
tist ideas of freedom long since refused to tolerate 
government by bishops, called episcopal govern- 



26 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

ment, or that by presbyters, called presbyterian gov- 
ernment. Government by the congregational form, 
in which each church conducts its own affairs, with- 
out outside interference, always has been Baptist 
usage. The churches, however, band together, but 
only for mutual stimulus, support, and counsel. In 
turn, these associations league together in conven- 
tions ; but neither conventions nor associations have 
the slightest governing power over the individual 
churches. Thus each congregation is supreme with- 
in its own walls. 

The government of each church is vested in the 
pastor and a board of elected men called deacons. 
The pastor's ofifice, however, is purely a spiritual 
one. He is, in the biblical sense, the shepherd O'f a 
flock. His leadership or direction is only toward 
the faithful following of Christ. The deacons, 
chosen by the members from among their own num- 
ber, handle chiefly the secular and business affairs of 
the church life. But they also have a spiritual duty, 
in the fact that often they are called upon by the 
pastor to assist him at The Lord's Supper, and to 
pass upon the qualifications of those seeking mem- 
bership. They should be chosen entirely for their 
wisdom, piety, and consecration, and not because of 
worldly abundance or influence. 

In some states civil law makes it necessary for a 
church to have trustees, as legal custodians of church 
property. They have nothing whatever to do with 
the spiritual side of the church, and properly should 
exercise no business control. There is also' a church 
clerk, who keeps a record of the church's business 
meetings, but he simply is a servant of the church. 
There is also a church treasurer, who is custodian 
of the church money. Properly, he should be one 
of the deacons. 



^ The Baptist Church 27 

We now come to the Baptist method of 
Reception . . ^ . . 

of New receiving new members into a church. 

Members. This is done in the simple, democratic 
manner that characterizes all Baptist 
worship and business forms. At the same time it 
partakes of the congregational character of gov- 
ernment, and the right of the church member to 
vote upon new members. 

The candidate for membership, having expressed 
publicly a desire for the remission of sin through 
rep'entance, and hope for salvation through belief in 
Jesus Christ, and given satisfactory evidence of 
conversion to the pastor and the deacons, regularly 
comes before the church for election. This election 
usually takes place at a regular business meeting 
of the congregation. A new member can only be 
admitted by ballot. The rule in this respect is in- 
flexible. In the case of a Baptist coming in from 
some other church of the denomination, he or she 
must have a proper letter of dismission from his or 
her church, showing that the person sO' dismissed 
is in good standing. Such cases are disposed of by 
ballot likewise. The converted candidate, having 
been elected, becomes a member with all rights and 
privileges only after baptism and receipt of the hand 
of fellowship. This brings us to the consideration 
of the ordinance of Baptism and the Baptist method 
of observing it. 

The administration of the ordinance of 
^^ Baptism is the most solemn of all occa- 

Baptism. sions in a Baptist church. Usually it is 
performed after one or the other of the 
Sunday services. City churches generally have a 
pool or baptistry built into the chancel or platform 
upon which the minister stands, but many country 
churches are not so well equipped ; and in these 



28 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

cases baptism is performed in the nearest river, 
creek, or pond, with the preference toward the river, 
since the doctrine of the church teaches that Christ 
was baptized in the river Jordan. Wherever the 
ordinance is administered, however, the method and 
ceremony are the same. 

In churches where there is a baptistry it is built 
so that there is a door, either from the rear or 
from one side, with a few steps leading down into 
the pool. Before the rite the pool is filled, some 
churches using slightly-warmed water for the com- 
fort of the pastor and the person receiving baptism. 
The candidate comes to the church provided with 
clothing of a suitable nature for use during the 
ceremony — ^properly white for females and black 
for males — and before the rite changes into it. The 
pastor usually enters the pool in waterproof gar- 
ments and, while the candidates are being assembled 
by the deacons, delivers a prayer. If there is a 
choir in the church, suitable hymns, such as ^'Shall 
we gather at the river,'' or ''Come, Holy Spirit, 
Heavenly Dove,'' are sung during the ceremony. 
If there is no choir, the congregation sings. 

After the entrance of the candidate into- the water, 
he or she is led by the pastor tO' the center o-f the 
pool, or to a sufficient depth, if the baptism takes 
place in a stream or pond. Some pastors then ask 
whether the candidate believes on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the candidate responding in the affirmative. 
The pastor then administers the rite, immersing 
the candidate beneath the surface of the water, and 
saying: ''John [or Mary, or whatever the Christian 
name of the person may be], I baptize thee in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost." 

The pastor always takes great care to be in entire 



^ The Baptist Church 29 

control of the candidate's body and weight, so that 
no untoward accident may happen. After the cere- 
mony the newly-baptized person is led by the pas- 
tor to the steps of the pool or to the shore. Jn 
churches the person who has just received the ordi- 
nance usually retires and reclothes in dry garments, 
but this is not always possible at baptisms in rivers 
or ponds. 

Upon the next occasion that serves the hand of 
fellowship is given. This is simply a formal, pub- 
lic clasping of the hand by the Church's pastor, and 
the utterance of a few words of welcome into the 
church. Some pastors, however, employ the cere- 
mony as a fitting time to speak upon the duties and 
obligations of church membership. In many con- 
gregations the assembled people also shake hands 
with the newly-received member, and this is to be 
commended as a most desirable thing. At the next 
celebration of The Lord's Supper after baptism the 
new member sho-uld partake of communion for the 
first time. This brings us to the significance of the 
ordinance to Baptists, and the manner in which they 
observe it. 

The ordinance of The Lord's Supper to 
The 
Lord's ^ Baptist is not, as has been a popular 

Supper, but erroneous belief, a communion of 
brethren in a faith, but an institution of 
remembrance, or commemoration, or memorial, of 
Christ, with the bread and wine as symbols merely 
of the flesh and blood of the Master. While the 
method of observing it is simple to the last degree 
and democratic, as are all things in a Baptist con- 
gregation, the people receive it with reverence as 
their spiritual food. 

In city churches it usually is observed monthly, 
after morning service, but in country churches quar- 



30 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

terly communion is the custom. The table is spread 
either upon the chancel or platform where the min- 
ister stands, or in the space between it and the 
first row of seats. The table always should be cov- 
ered with a spotlessly clean white cloth and the 
elements kept covered with white napkins until the 
time of administering the ordinance arrives. The 
use of unleavened bread is almost universal, as is 
also that of fermented wine, although there is a 
movement on foot to use only the unfermented va- 
riety, the simple juice of the grape. The reasons 
for this change are purely those of temperance; but 
those who advocate continuing the use of fermented 
wine say that this doubtless was the kind used by 
Christ and, therefore, do not wish toi alter their 
custom. Some congregations have but one cup, 
some two or three or four, while some use many 
individual cups. This, however, is not material to 
the ordinance, being simply a question oi means 
or preference. 

The pastor officiates by reason of his shepherd- 
ship, although Baptists hold this not to be strictly 
necessary. He calls upon the deacons to aid him, 
and these officers of the congregation should keep 
constantly on the alert to perform their duties with 
intelligence and reverence. Nothing is more dis- 
tasteful to the pastor and the people than to see a 
deacon aiding at the Lord's table in a careless, 
slovenly, or irreverent manner. During the cere- 
mony the congregation remains seated in the pews. 
Some pastors offer a prayer before proceeding to 
the ordinance, and the custom is an excellent one. 
A blessing is always asked upon the bread, and 
thanks given for the wine. 

The deacons then pass up and down the aisle 
with the elements, the bread upon trays or dishes 



^ The Baptist Church 31 

and the wine in cups. The deacons each should 
have a particular portion of the people tO' serve, and 
should do their work in pairs, one with the bread 
and the other directly behind with the wine. The 
deacon with the bread sho'uld hand the plate tO' the 
communicant sitting nearest to the aisle, and the 
communicant, after helping himself, should hand 
the plate tO' the next person, and it then should go 
on from hand to hand until the last communicant 
in the row gets it and serves himself. This per- 
son should hand it to the one directly behind him, 
and the plate then should pass from communicant 
to communicant, as in the first pew, until it reaches 
the deacon again. The deacon then should hand 
it to the first communicant in the next pew, and so 
on until all are served. 

The deacon with the wine should follow imme- 
diately behind the one with the bread, going through 
the same method of dispensing. This plan is prac- 
ticed in many churches, and, from the Baptist point 
of view, seems to^ be the best one devised. No 
special preparation is demanded in the Baptist de- 
nomination before partaking of communion, but 
all members are expected to come to the Lord's table 
in love, obedience, humility, and charity. 

Communion in a Baptist church is what is known 
as closed. Members of other denominations are 
barred on the grounds of difference of religious faith 
and practice. In some churches it is the custom 
to bar members of other Baptist churches as well 
as outsiders. The basis for this is that each Baptist 
has his own church and is expected to commune 
there, for the reason that he is under the discipline 
of that church alone and amenable only to its laws, 
and cannot, therefore, enter into that of another, 
which he would be doing were he tO' sit at the Lord's 



32 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

table in that other church. This is the strict read- 
ing of Baptist law with regard to the matter. In 
other churches, particularly in the country, visitors 
from sister churches, by courtesy, are permitted 
to commune. 

Baptist methods and forms of discipline 
Baptists' 111 . 1 • • 1 rr^i 

Forms of ^^^ ^^^" democratic and rigid. The 

Discipline. Bible is the faith's only code of law, 
and the only exponent of it is the church 
itself. A church has absolute power within itself 
to discipline its members, toi punish heresy, wrong- 
living, and evil-doing. There is no appeal to a 
higher church court or tribunal, for the reason that 
they do not exist, since no association or conven- 
tion has power to modify or reverse a church's de- 
cision. In this manner, Baptists declare, trouble in 
one church, or with one member, or with one pastor, 
can neither injure the denomination as a whole, nor 
bring about strife within the councils of the faith. 

The disciplining O'f a member takes place in and 
through a church itself. Any member of a con- 
gregation has the right to make or bring charges 
against any other member, but these charges must 
be based upon some violation of Scriptural law, or 
denominational doctrine as based upon Scripture. 
Wrong-living and immoral conduct have particular 
bases as violations of the Commandments, while 
questions of heresy are considered from the passages 
of Scripture used and construed as the foundations 
of doctrine. 

Charges so brought must be submitted in writing 
to the church by the person making them, and a 
meeting of the congregation is at once called for 
the purposes of trial. The accuser has the right to 
summon witnesses, and to act as prosecutor, or to 
delegate that right to some other person. He or 



^ The Baptist Church 33 

she may have the advice and presence of a lawyer, 
usually, although not necessarily, a member of the 
Baptist faith. The person accused has the same 
right of calling witnesses in his or her own defense, 
and the same right oi employing coimsel. 

The case is tried much in the same manner as 
prevails in civil courts. The pastor acts as mod- 
erator, or chairman, of the meeting, keeping order 
and maintaining fairness of procedure. The prose- 
cution gives its evidence, and may be cross-exam- 
ined. The defense, in turn, gives its evidence, and 
may be cross-examined. Each side then has the 
right to address the jury, which is the entire mem- 
bership in good standing of the church. A major- 
ity vote is necessary either to convict or to acquit 
the accused person oi the charges. 

Conviction means, as a rule, exclusion from the 
church, although the congregation, in minor of- 
fences, may inflict such penalties as apology, or 
public expression of wrong-doing, repentance, and 
desire for forgiveness. An excluded member can- 
not enter a church, of the denomination — either his 
own church or a sister church — until he or she has 
settled the trouble that brought about exclusion. No 
other church will receive an excluded person, be- 
cause the excluding church will not grant a letter 
of dismission until proper repentance or reforma- 
tion is shown, and good standing thereby restored 
to the offender. 

In the case of a pastor vv^ho has preached heresy 
or taught doctrine not in accord with Baptist prin- 
ciples, or who is accused of improper conduct, the 
trial is not before his own flock or by his own 
church, but before a number of other Baptist pas- 
tors. These are agreed upon and chosen from 
wherever it is thought advisable, or from whom- 
3 



34 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

soever will serve. It is usual for the prosecution 
to choose a certain number and the defense to do 
likewise; and the united choice then to select a 
number equal to half of the whole body to complete 
the court and to insure absolute fairness. Both 
sides have power to call witnesses and to employ 
counsel. But, unlike the trial of a lay member, the 
court which tries a pastor has no' final power. After 
hearing the case, it only has the power to formulate 
a report containing its recommendations as to con- 
viction or acquittal, and the church of the pastor 
on trial then accepts ot rejects the report, as it con- 
siders proper. 

The business meetings of a Baptist 
Business church are held under the chairmanship 
Meetings, or moderatorship of the pastor, or, in 

his absence, that of the senior deacon. 
These meetings should be conducted under strict 
parliamentary law. The use of ''Cushing's Man- 
ual'' is suggested to all pastors as the basis of such 
law, although, in its proper place in this book, will 
be given a summary of rules and regulations, based 
upon *'Cushing,'' and in such form as to- be under- 
stood and followed readily. 

Meetings in city churches are held once a month, 
usually, but country church folks find quarterly 
meetings sufficient for their needs. As a rule, the 
constitution and by-laws of the church state the time 
when these meetings shall be held and provide rules 
for the holding of special meetings. Annual meet- 
ings, at which deacons and other officials are elected, 
are also provided for in the same way. All church- 
es should have a form of business procedure, which, 
for the sake of saving time and preventing loose, 
useless discussion, should be observed rigidly. The 
following is given as an excellent order of business 



^ The Baptist Church 35 

to be followed, it being the one generally in use, 

not only in churches, but in other church bodies 

governed by parliamentary law : 

Prayer by the pastor or one of the deacons. 
Reading of the minutes of the last meeting. 
Reports of special committees or matters of reference to 
committees. 

Reports of standing committees. 

Report of the treasurer. 

Unfinished business. 

New business. 

Adjournment. 

Closing prayer by the pastor or one of the deacons. 

The admission of new members always should 
come under the head of new business. One of the 
deacons should be authorized by his colleagues, who 
previously should have examined the candidates, 
who, in turn, already must have made public pro- 
fession of faith, to move their admission. This 
deacon should arise, and having been recognized 
by the moderator, say: '/Brother Moderator, I move 
that this church receive for baptism these candi- 
dates [naming them] and after baptism, for all the 
rights and privileges of the church.'' Another dea- 
con should second this motion. 

The moderator then should say : "Brethren, it has 
been moved and seconded that this church receive 
for baptism these candidates [naming them] and 
after baptism, for all the rights and privileges of 
the church. Are you ready for the question?" 
Some person then should respond : ''Question." The 
moderator then should say: "All in favor of this 
motion respond by saying 'Aye.' " Having heard 
the vote he should next say : "All opposed say 'No.' " 
If there be a majority of "Ayes" he should say: 
"It is so ordered." If there be a majority of "Noes" 
he should say: "The motion is lost." 

Election of deacons should be carried out with 



36 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

great care. As has been said, men of wisdom, piety, 
and consecration should be chosen, and, so long as 
they do their duty, should be retained in office. The 
habit of annually electing an entire new board, as 
practiced in some churches, is a bad one. In such 
cases the honor and privilege of serving as a deacon 
soon comes to be an empty one. 

In choosing new deacons, in case of death, resig- 
nation, or failure to serve properly, or when it is 
desired to replace some lax or incompetent member 
of the board, it is wise to consult the other deacons 
as to the person they would like to have associated 
with them. If possible there should be no more 
than the required number nominated when the elec- 
tion takes place. But if many are nominated the 
required number receiving the largest number of 
votes should be declared elected. At all times the 
greatest efforts should be made to prevent the slight- 
est friction or jealousy arising over the choice of 
these important officers, or, in fact, any of the 
church servants elected from the congregation. 

In the formation of a new church the 
a New following procedure is suggested as an 
Church. excellent basis for operations : It is wise 

to form the new congregation where al- 
ready a mission has been planted or is in existence. 
Let the brethren and sisters who w^ish tO' become 
members of the new church obtain from the church 
or churches to which they are lawfully attached 
proper letters of dismission, and, then, at an ap- 
pointed time, let there be a meeting of these per- 
sons holding letters. At this meeting let there be 
a temporary moderator and a temporary clerk cho- 
sen, after which there should be devotional exercises. 
These exercises should include reading of the Scrip- 
tures and prayer in which God's blessing and guid- 



The Baptist Church 37 



ance should be asked. This being done, let the 
clerk read the letters of dismission, after which the 
persons present should resolve solemnly to consider 
and constitute themselves an independent church, 
adopting a church covenant or constitution, and 
articles of faith. Then a name for the new church 
should be selected, and, if deemed advisable, the 
church officers. Sometimes it is better to defer the 
latter action until another time. 

In choosing the board of deacons first to serve, 
part should be chosen to serve three years, part to 
serve two years, and part to serve one year. At 
succeeding elections, until the end of the third year, 
the choice should be so arranged that when the 
terms of the three-year deacons expire .the entire 
board should come up for reelection. This gives 
the church an opportunity to pick out the best men 
that have served and elect them, retaining them in 
office from year to year thereafter. 

After the organization of the new church it is 
w^ell to ask the other churches in the vicinity — that 
is, the other Baptist churches — to hold a council of 
recognition. This is not absolutely necessary, but 
it is courtesy, and besides, has its value. This 
council of recognition is composed of pastors and 
others from neighboring churches. Sometimes it 
examines the record of organization, and this is well. 
Recognition services follow. They should include 
Scriptural reading, a prayer, a sermon, the hand of 
fellowship, and a charge to the newly-formed church. 
Before concluding the section of The 

Primitive ChURCH MEMBER'S GuiDE devOtcd tO the 

Baptists. Baptist denomination it will be necessary 
to examine one branch of the faith small- 
er in numbers than the main body of the Baptists, 
entertaining certain marked differences of faith, and 



38 The Churchmember^s Guide 4^ 

following and observing certain equally marked dif- 
ferences in practice. This branch is known as The 
Primitive Baptist church, or Old School Baptists. 

Primitive Baptists declare themselves to be the 
original type of the faith. They do not believe in 
missionary work or missionaries ; they do not sanc- 
tion the payment of a stated salary tO' their min- 
isters, although they see no- objection to their sup^ 
port by the congregation; they do- not believe in 
Sunday-schools or in the use of certain evangelical 
methods in vogue among the churches O'f the gen- 
eral Baptist denomination and in other denomina- 
tions. Furthermore, they reject the plan of band- 
ing together in associations and conventions as do 
other Baptists, and they object to- the particular edu- 
cation of their preachers for the ministry. 

They contend that the points to which they ob- 
ject are not commanded anywhere in the Bible, and, 
since they obey Scripture entirely as they construe 
it, they reject these things utterly. They believe 
that God has His own methods of reaching the 
hearts of sinners, particularly such as those to- whom 
missionaries would go; they think children should 
hear the Word of God in church and not in a class ; 
they think a man who' ministers does wrong to ask 
his flock to pay him a certain wage for the work, 
and that the flock does wrong tO' pay it; they hold 
the same view with regard to missionaries, and they 
declare that in the primitive Church the pastors were 
not specially educated for the ministry but preached 
as they were called by God so to do'. 

In other ways, so far as church doctrine is con- 
cerned, they hold views not greatly different from 
the main body of the Baptists. Their attitude with 
regard to predestination, fore-ordination, election, 
and the character of Christ's atonement is pretty 



^ The Baptist Church 39 

much the same as other Baptists, being a modified 
form of Calvinism. They hold firmly to- the admin- 
istration of baptism by immersion, insisting that it 
is the only Scriptural mode. 

Prior to the year 1833, Primitive Bap- 
and ° ^ ^^^^ declare, Baptists generally enter- 
Customs, tained views largely in accord with pres- 
ent Primitive thought, but along about 
that time there was dissension in the church over 
the question oi missionary work. One party held 
out for missionaries, while the other, the Old School 
men or Primitives, sought to stop the work. This 
was the main point at issue, but others (some of 
which are outlined above) soon delevoped and the 
denomination split. The Primitive Baptists assert 
that theirs is the original form of the faith and, 
therefore, that they are the real Baptists. 

The original break occurred in the North, but 
Primitive churches soon were formed elsewhere. 
They have maintained their ground and, within the 
last fifteen or twenty years, have made considerable 
progress. At first they numbered about 50,000 or 
60,000, but the latest figures of the faith places 
them at about 110,000. Their great strength is 
now in the states of the South, notably among the 
mountain regions. 

With regard to the ordinances Prim- 
^^^ itive Baptists administer Baptism in 

Footwashing. the same form and with practically 

the same ceremonies as the majority 
of Baptists; but, at the same time, they have other 
forms and practices almost peculiarly their own. 
Among these is the ceremony known as footwash- 
ing. 

This was a custom known to the ancients. It 
was practiced by the Egyptians, Hebrews, and 



40 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

Greeks, and, latterly, by the Romans. In the hot, 
dry, and dusty countries of the East, at a time when 
men often wore nothing at all upon their feet, and 
at nO' time nothing more closely approaching a shoe 
than an open sandal designed only to protect the 
sole of the foot, constant washing of the feet was 
necessary for the preservation of health as well as 
for cleanliness. 

On entering a house it was the custom to lay 
aside such footgear as the caller wore, to bathe the 
feet and cleanse them, and to put on a sort of slip- 
per. The host often perfo-rmed this footwashing 
as a mark of respect and hospitality. In the Old 
Testament, mention of the custom is found carry- 
ing with it a certain character of humility as well 
as of affectionate regard. Under these circum- 
stances, whatever was demanded of health, hospi- 
tality, and meekness on the part of a host was, un- 
der the Jewish system of theology, sanctioned by 
religion. 

In the New Testament, the most remarkable in- 
stance of the practice is found in the thirteenth 
chapter of John, where the Saviour washed the feet 
of His disciples. The incident is described in great 
detail, and many of the Primitive Baptists take from 
it a command of Christ just as was commanded the 
observance of The Lord's Supper. Unquestionably, 
what Christ sought to* teach by it was the virtue of 
humility. 

The Primitive Baptists are not the only religious 
community which observes the ceremony. Other 
branches of the Baptist denomination, notably that 
known as The Dunkers (of which there are very 
few in the South), use it. Some other denomina- 
tions do likewise. The Emperor of Austria-Hun- 
gary, who is a member of The Roman Catholic 



* The Baptist Church 41 

church, conforming to the custom of his predecessors 
on the throne, once a year washes the feet of a 
number of aged beggars, dismissing them with a 
feast and a sum of money as alms. 

Those of the Primitive Baptists who continue to 
observe the ceremony do' so about twice a year. 
Some make it a part of The Lord's Supper celebra- 
tion, while others set apart a special time for it. 
It always is performed with the greatest reverence 
and humility. The time having arrived for it, 
either after the sermon or after The Lord's Supper, 
the deacons of the church bring basins full of pure 
water, and towels. The first row of seats is utilized 
for the sitting of tho'Se whose feet are to be washed. 
One after the other the members ask each other for 
permission to wash them. The washer prays both 
before and after the ablution and then in turn is 
washed. 

In government, the Primitive Baptists are strict 
congregationalists. The congregation is the source 
of all authority and power. Its will is law. No 
other congregation can make laws that it must obey. 
It sends no delegates to any association or conven- 
tion because there are none in the denomination. 
The pastor is the spiritual leader and the presiding 
officer at all meetings, both for worship and business. 
The deacons act for the church in business matters, 
but their office is particularly a spiritual one, for the 
aid of the pastor in the direction and shepherdship of 
the floclc, for distributing the bread and the wine 
at The Lord's Supper, for assisting at the ceremony 
of footwashing, and for visiting the sick and watch- 
ing over the spiritual welfare of the people. 

^ ^ ^ 



THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST 

The Disciples of Christ, otherwise 
Origin of known as The Christian church, is a 
the Faith, denomination with a history extending 

back about one hundred years. Its 
origin was distinctly American, although its actual 
parents were not wholly of American birth. The 
germ of the faith appears first in the later years 
of the eighteenth century and the first years of the 
nineteenth. The movement does not seem to have 
had its beginning in one place alone, or with one 
man, but in several places and with several men, 
none of which seems to have had any connection 
with the others. 

The chief figures in the faith's foundation, in 
order of time, may be said to have been the Rev- 
erend James O' Kelly, a preisiding elder O'f The 
Methodist Episcopal church, who, in 1792, broke 
with that faith; the Rev. Abner Jones, a Baptist, 
who instituted the doctrine in Vermont in 1801 ; 
Barton W. Stone, of The Presbyterian church, who 
embraced Disciples' principles in 1800 or 1801 in 
Kentucky, and, in particular, the Reverend Alex- 
ander Campbell, who, from 18 10 to 1830, broad- 
ened, strengthened, and finally consolidated the 
various wings of it. While O'Kelly, Jones, and 
Stone had the basic idea of Christian church doc- 
trine, Campbell was the man whose labors practical- 
ly formed the denomination and established it on 
a footing of strength and unity. He is, by far, the 
(42) 



^ The Disciples of Christ 43 

paramount figure in its early history, and in its rise 
as a faith. 

But, before tracing the faith^s rise and Campbell's 
connection with it, it is necessary to state briefly 
its fundamental principles. It believes that Chris- 
tendom has departed from the ways of the Church 
as it was in the time oi the apostles by splitting up 
into denominations and adopting long and puzzling 
creeds, in fact, by adopting any theological creeds 
whatever. Therefore, it would abolish all sects and 
all creeds, save the one it regards as the confession 
of faith of the primitive follower O'f Christ. This, 
it holds, is: 'T believe in my heart that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of the living God.'' It believes that 
all churches should reunite on this basis, returning 
to a state of primitive Christianity, observing the 
ordinances of Baptism and The Lord's Supper, and 
living the primitive Christian life; that is, taking 
the man Christ Jesus as the only model of conduct, 
and the Bible, particularly the New Testament, as 
the only standard of faith and practice. 

In 1792, the Reverend James O'Kelly, 
First^ ^^^^ some others, withdrew from a Gen- 
Period, eral Conference of The Methodist Epis- 
copal Church held at Baltimore, Maryland. 
The question then at issue was assignments tO' new 
charges and the right of appeal to the bishop if a 
new charge, under the Methodist system of itin- 
erancy, should prove distasteful. The withdraw- 
ing pastors at first organized a church called The 
Republican Methodist church, intending to keep up 
a nominal allegiance to the Methodists. But in 
less than two years they separated entirely, Mr. 
O'Kelly and his brethren forming, in Virginia, a new 
denomination, which they called by the word ^^Chris- 
tian" alone. They voted to take the Bible as their 



44 The Churchmember's Guide ^J 

sole creed and guide, and to permit each church 
to govern itself. 

In 1 80 1, the Reverend Abner Jones, originally 
a Baptist, organized in Vermont a church upon 
practically the same lines. In the same year or the 
one following, during a great revival in Kentucky, 
Barton W. Stone and some fellow-Presbyterians did 
likewise. It is said that they were moved to the 
action by the attitude of some of their converts, w4io 
hesitated to unite with any particular denomination, 
preferring to be known by no other name than that 
of '^Christian.'^ 

These three movements, extending over a period 
of about ten years and representing three widely 
separated regions, difficult of communication one 
with the other, form, what may be called the first 
period of the history of The Disciples of Christ. 
The second period relates to Alexander Campbell 
and his work. The first period is that of germina- 
tion ; the second that of growth and consolidation. 

Alexander Campbell was born in 
Campbell Ireland in 1788. He was the son 

and His Work, of a minister of the Scotch Pres- 
byterian Seceders. His father, 
Thomas Campbell, had come to America and set- 
tled in the western part of Pennsylvania, leaving 
Alexander behind to complete his studies for the 
ministry in the University of Glasgow. The young 
man seems to have intended to enter the Presby- 
terian church ; but he imbibed, in some way or other, 
ideas and doctrines not in accord with that faith, 
in which he and his father had been brought up. 
On reaching America and joining the elder Camp- 
bell he found that member of the family also enter- 
taining opinions at variance with his church ; so 
much so, in fact, that he had been on trial before a 



Hh The Disciples of Christ 45 

church court for violation of certain doctrinal rules 
of his church. 

Here, with his father, young Campbell carried on 
his ministerial studies, and without doubt they dis- 
cussed the points over which they were at variance 
with the faith of which they were members. In 
1810 the young man preached his first sermon. 
After this, the views, of both father and son con- 
tinued to draw away from their denomination. At 
last, in 181 1, they organized a separate church, with 
a membership of about thirty persons. This was 
at a place in Pennsylvania called Brush Run. The 
name they selected for it was ^The Christian Asso- 
ciation." The younger Campbell was the preacher 
and his father took office as elder. With this event 
the second period of The Disciples' history begins. 

In substance, Mr. Campbell's teachings at 
Second ' ^^'^^ ^^^-^^ were : ^^Christian union can re- 
Period, suit from nothing short of the destruction 
of creeds and confessions of faith, inas- 
much as human creeds and confessions have de- 
stroyed Christian union. Nothing ought to be re- 
ceived into the faith and worship of the church, or 
to be made a term of communion among Christians, 
that is no't as old as the New Testament, nor ought 
anything be admitted as of divine obligation, in 
the church constitution or management, save what is 
enjoined by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ 
and his apostles upon the New Testament Church, 
either by expressed terms or by approved precedent." 

In the year following the foundation of the Brush 
Run church, after discussing baptismal modes with 
his father and with his flock, Mr. Campbell advo- 
cated baptism by the Baptist method. The result 
was that the entire Brush Run congregation was 
immersed by a Baptist elder. Several churches ad- 



46 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

vocating Mr. Campbell's principles soon were organ- 
ized and later all were taken into the Baptist denom- 
ination, although there were some points of variance, 
even at that early time, in the respective beliefs of 
the faiths. Troubles soon began to arise between 
the followers of Mr. Campbell and the Baptists, and 
the former foresaw that sooner or later they would 
be forced to organize a church of their own. This 
was about the year 1813, and fourteen years later 
the Baptists formally withdrew fellowship from 
CampbelFs church and those that followed his teach- 
ing, although by that time the twO' faiths were prac- 
tically separate. 

Mr. Campbell and his people contended for the 
Bible and the Bible alone, and declined to subscribe 
to certain elements of faith and practice which, it 
was held by the Baptists, were necessary to the ful- 
fillment of Baptist doctrine. These elements of con- 
tention were chiefly with reference to open com- 
munioai, the symbolism of baptism, and the influence 
of the Holy Spirit in conversion. 

The year 1827, in which the Baptists 
S^ d f withdrew fellowship from Mr. Camp- 
the Faith, bell's following, marks the middle of the 
second period in the rise of the Disciples' 
faith. No sooner were the churches excluded than 
they formed an organization of their own, taking 
the name 'The Disciples of Christ, or The Chris- 
tian church,'' by which they now are known. At 
the same time they took in a number of churches 
elsewhere than in the communities where Mr. Camp- 
bell had taught and preached. This fact requires 
some little explanation : 

It must not be imagined that Alexander Camp- 
bell had been content to use only his voice in spread- 
ing the faith he had built up. Between the year 



^ The Disciples of Christ 47 

of his ordination, which took place about 1813, and 
the year 1823 he had confined his efforts tO' the re- 
gion in which he lived — the western part of Penn-- 
sylvania and a part of West Virginia. In 1823, 
four years before the final break with the Baptists, 
he extended his field of labor over into Kentucky 
and Tennessee, and, to broaden the work still fur- 
ther, began the publication of a periodical. This 
was a monthly magazine which he called ^'The Chris- 
tian Baptist." It was printed on a private press 
at his home, and little was expected from it. But 
it was successful from the start, and soon visibly 
increased his following. 

The doctrines of The Disciples spread southward 
and westward, and church after church soon came 
to be organized. The loosely-bound churches that 
had been started as a result of the O'Kelly and 
Barton W. Stone movements, in West Virginia, 
Virginia, and Kentucky, were taken into- the union 
formed by Mr. Campbell, while in the far North the 
churches resulting from the labors of the Reverend 
Abner Jones, along about 1802 to 1805, also came 
in. Thus it was that three decades after the begin- 
ning of the ^^Christian'' movement the various wings 
of the faith were drawn together. This consolida- 
tion unquestionably was the fruit of Alexander 
Campbell's work and diligence. 

Once organized, The Disciples of Christ grew 
rapidly. Mr. Campbell lost no opportunity of 
teaching and preaching the doctrines of his denom- 
ination. His periodical carried them far and wade, 
while he personally availed himself of various 
chances that offered toi debate religious questions 
with men representing other denominations. One 
of the most noted of these discussions was that with 
Archbishop Purcell, of The Roman Catholic church. 



48 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

This took place in 1836 in Cincinnati. Another 
famous debate was that with the Reverend Dr. N. 
B. Rice, a Presbyterian, which took place in Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky, under the chairmanship of no less 
a person than Henry Clay, the celebrated statesman 
from the Blue Grass State. Each debate only 
seemed to add many converts to The Disciples. 

Mr. Campbell's skill in argument was generally 
admitted, even by those who were opposed tO' him. 
He had a fine presence, a splendid voice, and was 
gifted with the ability to hold the attention of his 
hearers, even in the maze of doctrinal dispute, or 
when untangling the skein of difficult theology. In 
latter life he gave the greater part of his time to 
educational matters, having founded a college at 
Bethany, West Virginia, in 1840. Nevertheless, he 
found much time to- preach and write. His death 
occurred in 1866. 

The greatest results in the way of increase came 
after the period of the Civil War. The denomina- 
tion soHdified itself in the regions where it had 
arisen, and then spread out, chiefly to the south- 
ward and westward. The district known as the 
Middle West sooo became its stronghold, but the 
entire South responded as well. The growth south 
of Tennessee and east of the Mississippi River has 
been slower, however, than in Kentucky and in 
Missouri, which states are among the banner states 
of the faith. It has included among its members 
many noted men. One of them was General James 
A. Garfield, President of the United States, who 
was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau, in Wash- 
ington, in 1 88 1. Garfield was baptized into The 
Disciples in 1850, and for some time preached and 
taught in one of its leading educational institutions. 
His elevation to the chief magistracy of the nation 



^ The Disciples of Christ 49 

did much to give the denomination a forward move- 
ment. 

Statistics of The Disciples of Christ for 

of the ^^^ y^^^ ^9^5 show a total membership 

Disciples, in the United States of about 1,500,000. 
Of these about 900,000 are in the states 
of the Middle West. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, 
and Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri make up 
the bulk of this number. Missouri has 180,000, 
Kentucky has about 120,000, Ohio has about 160,- 
000, Indiana the same, and Illinois about 150,000. 
The state of Tennessee has about 80,000. Texas 
has about 100,000, while Louisiana and Mississippi 
have smaller figures. Florida has about 6,000 and 
Georgia and Alabama each about 15,000. Virginia 
has about 20,000, but the Carolinas are weak, with 
about 8,000 each. The faith in the North is scat- 
tered, although there are churches in every state. 
The total number of churches in the United States 
is about 6,500 and there are about 5,500 ministers. 

The Disciples have carried on an aggres- 
Missions . . . . -,11 

and ^^^^ missionary work ever since the days 

Schools, of Mr. Campbell. The faith already has 
been planted in Australia and has in- 
vaded England. France, Denmark, Turkey, and 
Jamaica, as well as the usual foreign missionary 
stations, have develo'ped into fruitful fields. The 
chief working forces are The American Christian 
Missionary Society, The Foreign Christian Mission- 
ary, and The Christian Woman's Board of Missions. 
The denomination has a large number of universi- 
ties, colleges, schools, and academies under its con- 
trol. Of these Drake University, in Iowa, is the 
largest. Other large institutions are Kentucky Uni- 
versity, at Lexington, Kentucky, and the Texas 
Christian University, at Waco, Texas. Bethany 
4 



50 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

College, founded at Bethany, West Virginia, con- 
tinues its work, and is one of the strongest of those 
under the faith's care. The Nashville Bible School, 
at Nashville, is also a flourishing institution. 

The crowning point of the belief of The 
Disciples Disciples of Christ is that all followers 
Believe. of Christ should be united in one faith, 
and that, in order so to be united, Chris- 
tianity should return to what The Disciples declare 
was the apostolic Church. This was, they insist, 
one spiritual brotherhood — a single body, with a 
single Lord, a single faith, and a single baptism. 
Therefore, they would do away with all human 
creeds, names, and organizations, and use no creeds 
but the Bible, no name but that O'f Christ, and no 
organization but that of common church fellowship. 
Nothing, they hold, is now essential to the union 
of all Christianity save the teachings of the apos- 
tles, and nothing essential to the conversion of the 
world save the union of Christianity on the basis 
suggested. 

The Disciples believe that the Old and the New 
Testament were equally inspired, but that the latter 
is more binding upon Christians than the former. 
Their reason for this is that the Old Testament was 
directed to the Jews, while the New was directed 
to the followers of Christ in particular. They hold 
the Bible, however, to be all-sufficient and alone- 
sufficient as the revelation of God's will, and as a 
rule of faith and practice. They believe in the tri- 
personality of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Quoting the words of one of the leading min- 
isters of the faith, they believe in ^^the divine excel- 
lency of Jesus as the Christ the Son o-f God — his 
incarnation, doctrines, miracles, death as a sin-offer- 
ing, resurrection, ascension, and investment with 



^ The Disciples of Christ 51 

supreme authority; the personal mission of the 
Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, and to com- 
fort and sanctify Christians; the alienation of man 
from God and his dependence upon the divine mercy 
in Christ; the necessity of faith and repentance to 
salvation; the importance of Baptism and The 
Lord's Supper as divine ordinances; the duty of 
observing the Lord's day in remembrance of the 
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the neces- 
sity of righteousness, holiness, and benevolence in 
Christians; the fulness and freeness of the gospel 
to all who will accept it on New Testament condi- 
tions; the final judgment, with the reward of the 
righteous and the punishment of the ungodly." 

Faith in Christ, publicly expressed, is all The 
Disciples demand as a condition for membership 
and baptism. They desire no other tests save the 
expression of faith and desire to abandon sin and to 
lead a righteous life. They insist that "he w^ho' be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved," and that the 
evidence of pardon and the gift of the Spirit rests 
in the sinner's heartfelt knowledge of his acceptance 
of the terms of pardon. The ordinance of Baptism 
they observe in the same manner as the Baptists — 
that is by immersion— -but with respect to the de- 
sign of baptism they say that they baptize ''for the 
remission of sin," and declare that the sinner, in 
being baptized, takes up God's promise of pardon, 
relying on the divine testimony. 

With regard to The Lord's Supper they look 
upon it as a memorial feast, and keep it every Sun- 
day. No believer in Christ is barred from it, since 
they do' not recognize sects or denominations, de- 
claring them tO' be without Scriptural authority. As, 
in other faiths whose communion table is open, ap- 
proach to the table is acceptable evidence of faith, 



52 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Government in a church of The Disci- 
Church P-^^^ ^'^ Christ is, hke that of the 
Government. Baptist faith, most simple in form. 
The basic idea of it is to get as close 
to what is understood to be the form of govern- 
ment of the primitive Church as is possible. The 
Disciples believe that the early churches governed 
themselves in the most democratic sort of a manner, 
and they seek to do the same. 

There are three ruling ranks in the faith, each 
having its separate and distinct duties to perfo'rm. 
These ranks are, in order of precedence: ministers', 
elders, and deacons. The minister is the person 
who reads the Word, preaches, invites the sinner 
to receive Christ, leads the congregation in prayer, 
administers the ordinances, and generally performs 
the functions of the ministry. Nevertheless, the 
faith regards the ministrations of an ordinary mem- 
ber of the congregation, if that member be a holy 
and consecrated man, as acceptable, even unto the 
observances of The Lord's Supper and Baptism. 

The elders are men of piety and devotion selected 
to perform certain spiritual offices, tO' watch the 
spiritual life of the people, to assist at the adminis- 
tration Oif baptism and at the Lord's table, to- admon- 
ish those who are in error, or living a life not in 
accord with Christian teaching, and, in general, to 
be the minister's helpers. 

The deacons are men chosen from the congrega- 
tion to handle the church business, and they have 
little of its spiritual life to engage their attention, 
save to drstribute the elements at The Lord's Sup- 
per. They act as trustees when state law requires 
the election of such officers in order to hold legally 
the church property. Each church selects a church 
clerk and a church treasurer, the former to act as 



^ The Disciples of Christ 53 

the congregation's secretary and the latter to be 
custodian of the church funds. It is wisdom to 
choose these men from the number of the deacons. 

Each church is absolutely independent of any 
other church, the Disciples having adopted the con- 
gregational method of government as the one near- 
est the embodiment of the primitive church idea. 
Each church can make its own laws and dO' what- 
ever seems best to it in the choice of site, minister, 
and certain of its forms, although no church departs 
from the fundamental doctrine of the faith. An 
illustration of this method may be found in the dif- 
ferent usag'e regarding music. Some churches of 
the faith object to the use of musical instruments 
to accompany singing by the congregation and for 
the more artistic rendition of hymns, declaring that 
the prfmitive church had no such things, and there- 
fore, they, the modem form of the primitive church, 
should not use them. Other churches, however, 
take an entirely different view of the matter, rea- 
soning that the use of an organ or a piano is per- 
fectly proper, since it is only giving further glory 
to God through the means of a mechanical device 
which is the result of a more advanced state of 
civilization than that which prevailed at the time 
of the Master. 

But, while two churches may be at utter variance 
regarding this phase of worship, they are in com- 
plete accord over the fundamentals. The founda- 
tions of the faith are not altered in any way by rea- 
son of the independence of each church, because 
basic doctrine is the same in all churches, although 
they may differ in expounding it or setting it forth 
in worship. 

And, with reference to the higher organization 
of the faith than the simple church form, the same 



54 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

individuality oi the congregation prevails else- 
where. The various churches are bound together 
in an annual conference or convention, but mem- 
bership in it, or representation there by delegates, 
is not an absolute necessity. This convention or 
conference is very much like that of the Baptists, 
in that it has no governing power over the churches 
themselves, but is more for the purpose of mutual 
sympathy, stimulus, and counsel. Membership in the 
denomination's large missionary enterprises is also 
not obligatory, the various churches contributing to 
the v^oirk voluntarily whatever they may see fit or 
are able to give. 

Admission of a new member into^ a 
of^New church O'f The Disciples of Christ is 
Members, probably more simple in form than in 

any other of the evangelical churches. 
This is true not only with regard tO' admission from 
other churches oi the same faith, but particularly so 
in the case of conversions. Members from other 
churches usually bring letters of dismission to sho-w 
that they are in good standing, but this is not en- 
tirely necessary, because of the broad view the 
Disciples take of the question of church discipline. 

With reference to the admission O'f new members 
by conversion the following is the usual form : It is 
the custom, at the end of each service, for the min- 
ister or evangelist to issue an invitation to the sin- 
ners present to accept Christ, by coming forward 
and manifesting in a public manner their belief in 
Him, and their hope for salvation through Him. 
Save the ordinance of Baptism this is all the form 
through which candidates for admission to the 
church are required to pass. There are no elective 
methods and no further inquiry, the Disciples hold- 
ing that if a man or a woman or a child has under- 



^ The Disciples of Christ 55 

gone co'nversion and publicly professed belief nei- 
ther church nor people has the right to search into 
the acts of the Holy Spirit in touching the sinner's 
heart. The converted person is at once accepted, 
and, if it be possible, at once baptized. The Disci- 
ples believe that before the sun sets or rises, again 
upK>n the converted person he o-r she should be bap- 
tized. This they regard as having been one of the 
principles of the Church in the age of the apostles, 
and, wherever possible, they rigidly adhere to it. 

As has been said, the Disciples observe 
^^ the ordinance of Baptism in the same 

Baptism, manner as The Baptist church. Like- 
wise, the rite is performed in a pool or 
baptistry built in the church, or, if there be none in 
the church, in the most convenient river, creek, or 
pond. Most city churches have their own baptistry 
for the sake of convenience and comfort, but in the 
country districts it is more difficult tO' erect and 
maintain them, and recourse to a nearby body of 
water is not unusual. Many city churches pro^ 
vide suitable garments for the candidates tO' wear, 
because of the desire o-f the faith to baptize as soon 
as possible after profession, and the consequent like- 
lihood that the candidate will not be so provided at 
the time. Not all churches, however, follow this 
method, which is advocated by some of the leading 
ministers of the Disciples, and is suggested by them 
as a wise and sympathetic precaution. 

The rite is administered usually by the minister, 
or, in his absence, by an elder. The baptistry hav- 
ing been filled or the convenient body of water hav- 
ing been reached, the minister enters it clad, if pos- 
sible, in waterproof garments, making a short 
prayer. The candidate is then brought to the water 
by the elders, the minister advancing to meet the 



56 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

person and assist him or her to the center of the 
pool or to a depth of water convenient for the pur- 
poses of the rite. The assembled congregation 
sings, accompanied or unaccompanied by instru- 
ments, as may be the custom of the individual 
church, or the exigencies of the situation, using such 
hymns as *^How^ firm a foundation," or ^^How happy 
are they." 

The minister then asks, in his judgment, if the 
candidate believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Re- 
ceiving an answer in the affirmative, he gently im- 
merses the entire body and head of the candidate, 
repeating at the same time the Scriptural formula : 
^'John [or Mary, or whatever the name may be], I 
baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The baptized per- 
son then is led by the minister to the steps of the 
pool or to the shore of the body of water,' and the 
ordinance, so far as that person is concerned, is 
over. In city churches, as has been said, the con- 
vert has an opportunity to put on dry garments, but 
this is not always possible at baptisms in the coun- 
try. 

Once baptized, the convert in The Christian 
church is in full possession of all church rights and 
privileges. It is the custom., however, in many 
churches to give him or her an official fraternal 
welcome, in the shape of a modification of the hand 
of fellowship as practiced in the Baptist churches, 
the minister and the congregation making it a point 
to say a word or two of Christian greeting to the 
new member upon the first occasion which serves. 

It has been stated previously that the 
T J, Disciples observe the ordinance of The 
Supper. Lord's Supper every Sunday. They re- 
gard it not only as a memorial feast and 



^ The Disciples of Christ 57 

as a sacrament, but much in the nature of a com- 
munion of brethren. Therefore, recognizing nei- 
ther sect nor creed, they do not hesitate to admit 
to their table of the Lord any and all that may 
come to it. They hold that their communion is 
neither open nor closed. A follower of Christ who 
comes to it they do not refuse, and they construe 
his coming as his expression that he is a follower of 
Christ. Since they themselves do' not claim to be 
more than that, they hold that they cannot rightfully 
turn him away. 

The celebration of the rite takes place after the 
usual morning service, as in most evangelical 
churches. The table is spread upon the chancel or 
platform for the minister, or in the space between 
it and the first row of seats. Unleavened bread and 
unfermented wine are used by most of the churches. 
The elements are kept covered with unsoiled white 
napkins until the time for their use, and the table 
itself is spread with a similar unsoiled white cloth. 
The apparatus of trays for the bread and cups for 
the wine varies with the means of the congregation 
or its preference in such matters. Some churches 
use several trays and cups, some the individual cups, 
while others prefer to use only the one tray and 
the one cup, in strict accord with the Scriptures. 

At the appointed time the ministers and the elders 
take their places at the table, and the deacons should 
hold themselves in readiness to go to it as soon as 
the opening prayer has been said. The minister 
usually presides, although one of the elders may do 
so. The deacons, whose duty it is to distribute the 
elements to the congregation, should know in ad- 
vance which of their number are to do the work, 
and should be ready to receive communion them- 
selves immediately after the elders have partaken. 



58 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

The minister, or the elder who- presides, first 
should ofifer a short prayer and then ask a blessing 
upon the bread, after which he should break it and 
hand it to the elders. These having been served, 
the minister should hand the plate or plates to the 
deacons who are to distribute to the congregation, 
which, during the entire ceremony, remains seated 
in the pews. Then the deacons should take differ- 
ent portions of the church (agreed upon in ajlvance) 
and begin serving. When the congregation is large 
and the church uses a number of plates and cups 
four deacons should serve. As a rule, however, 
two will suffice. 

After receiving the plate from the minister the 
deacon should hand the plate to the communicant 
sitting nearest the aisle in the first pew oi his sec- 
tion. After partaking, the communicant should 
hand it to the next person, and it then sho-uld go 
from hand to hand until the last communicant in the 
pew receives. This person should hand it to the 
one in the next pew behind, and the plate then 
should be passed back, from person tO' person, until 
it reaches the deacon, who should receive it and 
hand it to the first communicant in the succeeding 
pew, and so on until all are served. 

Returning to the table, the deacon should wait 
until the minister gives thanks for the wine and 
serves the elders. The deacon should then partake 
and serve the communicants, going through the 
same method with the cups as was practiced with 
the plates. 

While this method of serving the Lord's table is 
not used in all churches, it is the best one yet devised 
meeting all the requirements of the Disciples' usage. 
At the same time it has the merits of expedition and 
reverence. It is in strict accord with all Christian 



^ The Disciples of Christ 59 

fonn and is perfectly orderly. It is suggested by 
ministers of the highest standing in the faith for 
general adoption. 

The utmost care should be taken at all times, both 
by the elders and cO'mmunicants, to maintain the 
greatest degree of reverence and care, lest the table 
of the Lord be served in an unseemly manner or 
that any untoward accident happen, either to the 
bread or to the wine. Nothing is more beautiful in 
the services of a church than The Lord's Supper 
and the serving of it with solemnity and grace. No 
other celebration so tends to- the drawing together 
of the congregation in unity and spirituality; no 
other institution gives the churchmember such ap- 
lift of soul and such Strength for the living of a 
Christian life. 

The methods of discipline in a church 
Forms of ^^ ^^^ Disciples of Christ are in 

Discipline. general accord with the other simple 

and democratic methods of proce- 
dure of the faith. In the first place. The Disciples 
do not often exclude members who- have not lived 
up to the proper standard of a Christian life, nor 
do they ever place them on trial as before a court. 
This statement needs a little explanation: One of 
the duties of the elders of the church is to^ keep a 
watchful eye upon the members. This is in no 
sense a system of spying. It is really the care of a 
devoted and sympathetic under-shepherd. If a 
member show signs of falling from his or her spir- 
itual position, one or other of the elders, as soon as 
he becomes aware of the fact — which may happen 
through his own observation or through informa- 
tion from a third party — goes to the ofifender and 
admonishes him or her. This admonition is never 
to be delivered in the nature of angry reproof or 



60 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

public humiliation. It should be given in a fatherly 
or a brotherly manner, and always in private, so 
that none may know of it except those actually 
concerned. If the desired effect is not obtained, the 
elder who first spoke to the offender takes a second 
elder and repeats the admonition, always, of course, 
in a paternal or fraternal manner. If there con- 
tinue to^ be no signs of a change of life, or thought, 
or word, or deed, elders and minister go and en- 
deavor to effect the change. 

It is rare that so much effort is required, but if 
the desired end is not reached by it the congregation 
acts. The matter having been brought before the 
people by the minister and the elders, the congrega- 
tion by vote announces that it does not countenance 
the conduct of Brother So^-and-So or Sister Blank, 
and cannot approve it. With this statement there 
is embodied another to the effect that this action of 
the people must not be considered as indicating that 
the person named has done an absolute wrong, for 
the congregation is not sitting in final judgment, 
since none but God has the right to do that, and that 
the person named may have reasons for his or her 
acts that God will accept, thus setting at naught 
the point of view of humanity. To the congrega- 
tion, however, the person seems tO' have done wrong ; 
therefore, humanly speaking, it cannot countenance 
the acts in question and withdraws its fellowship, 
at the same time asking God's help for the person 
named. This act of the congregation formally ex- 
cludes the offender, although restoration may take 
place later when the excluded one expresses re- 
pentance and shows signs of reform of life. 

In the case of a minister accused of preaching 
heretical doctrine or of any sort of misconduct the 
method of operation is different and takes the fol- 



^ The Disciples of Christ 61 

lowing form: Charges must be made in writing to 
the church to which he is attached. Such charges 
may be made either by a person within that church 
or within some other church of the faith. They 
must, however, be based upon some violation of 
Scriptural law, or upon the doctrine of the church 
as based upon Scripture. This is tO' avoid useless 
contention on the part of persons inclined to create 
trouble or addicted to spite. 

On receipt of the written charges the elders call 
a meeting of the congregation and the minister is 
tried in due form. Both sides have a right to coun- 
sel from some member of the faith, witnesses are 
heard on both sides, and both sides have the right 
to cross-examine and to address the meeting after 
the evidence is heard. Acquittal is reached by a 
majority vote; to convict the same sort of a vote is 
necessary. If the minister has been preaching he- 
retical doctrine, or has been guilty of grave miscon- 
duct, and is upheld in it by the vote of his people, 
the other churches, at their discretion, quietly with- 
draw fellowship from the minister and his congre- 
gation. Such action invariably ends the usefulness 
of the church and the minister. Usually it dwin- 
dles away, its people finally seeing the error of their 
way and uniting with some other congregation. 

Business meetings of a church of The 
DisciT)l6s' 
Business Disciples of Christ are held in the same 

Meeting's, manner that prevails in most of the 
churches that are governed by the con- 
gregational form of procedure. 

The action of the congregation is final and is 
reached by a majority vote. Every baptized mem- 
ber has a right to vote upon any and all subjects, 
or to debate under proper parliamentary restrictions. 
The use of ''Cushing's Manual" as a guide for this 



62 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

is almost universal, but the reader is referred to the 
simplified form of parliamentary law to be found 
in this book as a safe and easily understood basis 
of operation. 

Business meetings are held in city churches as 
often as once a month, but country churches prefer 
quarterly meetings, finding them sufficient for all 
purposes. The following is suggested as an excel- 
lent schedule of business : 

Prayer by the minister or one of the elders. 
Reading of the minutes of the last meeting. 
Reports of special committees or matters of reference to 
committees. 

Reports of standing committees. 

Report of the treasurer. 

Unfinished business. 

New business. 

Adjournment. 

Closing prayer by the minister or one of the elders. 

In the formation of a new church of The 

a New Disciples the faith prefers tO' employ only 

Church. the simplest possible forms. For this 

purpose, the following is suggested : 

Let the new church be started where already a 
mission has been in existence or where revivals or 
evangelical meetings have been held. Let the min- 
ister or the evangelist who- has been working in the 
field draw up a paper, setting forth the fact that 
certain persons have deemed it wise and expedient 
to form a new church organization to- be a part 
of the communion of The Disciples of Christ, and 
that they set their signatures to the paper and agree 
to be governed by the rules and regulations of the 
faith, and to conform toi its usages and doctrines. 

Then let such as desire to make up the congrega- 
tion sign this paper. This act formally constitutes 
the new church. Let the minister or evangelist then 
choose from among the members of the congreg'a- 



^ The Disciples of Christ 63 

tion such elders and deacons as he may see fit, tak- 
ing care to select men of piety and devotion; but 
care should be taken also that these appointments 
are thoroughly understood to be only temporary 
ones. At the end of a period of three months, the 
choice, if satisfactory to* the congregation, can be 
made pemianent by vote of the members. The or- 
ganization should be just as simple as possible. Un- 
til the congregation selects a minister one of the 
elders should preach and administer the ordinances, 
such being permissible under the rules of the faith. 

* ^ * 



THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH 



Methodism is the outgrowth of a 
q\ . ^^ great reform movement which swept 
Methodists, over England and the EngHsh church 

between the years 1735 and 1775. 
Both the Enghsh people and their established faith, 
the church in England, had fallen upon bad spir- 
itual times. The clergy, save for a few of its num- 
ber, was weak and without that spirit of consecra- 
tion so necessary to a body of ministers working for 
the furtherance of God's cause. The people, lack- 
ing the shepherdship and guidance of devoted and 
sanctified men, had been retrograding in religious 
matters for many years. There had been much 
evil in high places. The reigning princes had been 
either weak, or dissolute, or both; and the nobility 
largely was addicted to manners of life little calcu- 
lated to set forth a good example to the middle and 
lower classes, who make up the great bulk of a na- 
tion. The mass of the people was miserably poor, 
while drunkenness, immorality, - and crime against 
man, as well as against God, were everywhere. 

But the pendulum of bad living had swung as far 
as God would permit. Naturally it must swing 
back, and when the time came for it to do so God 
raised up men to take advantage of it for His sake. 
Chief of these men was John Wesley, one of the 
few clergy in the English church who were truly 
men of God. He was the real founder of Meth- 
odism and the father of The Methodist Episcopal 

(64) 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 65 

church in America. For more than forty years he 
was the man who taught, organized, and guided 
Methodism. To his labors, more than those of any 
other man, are due the rise and growth o-f the faith. 
No history of it, or of its greatest exponent, the 
faith in this country, would be anything like com- 
plete without a history of his life. To this we now 
address ourselves : 

John Wesley was born on the 28th 
fohn Wesley^s ^^ J^^^' 1 703, at Epworth, a small 
Early Life. village in Lincolnshire, England, a 

village destined to become famous 
not only because Wesley first saw the light there, 
but by giving its name to one of the most power- 
ful organizations in the church which he founded. 
Wesley's father was a clergyman, and the son of a 
line of clergymen, as well as a good and conse- 
crated man. His mother, Susanna Wesley, was 
just such a sturdy woman, pious and wise, as might 
be expected to give such a son to the world. 

John was the fifteenth of nineteen children. All 
of the boys that survived infancy became more or 
less famous, but the great founder of Methodism 
overtopped them all. The daughters of the house 
all had the misfortune to make wretched marriages, 
but they were good and devoted -women. Being so 
large in number it can be imagined that the family 
was poor, but the hardy Puritan stock from which 
the father and mother had come made them frugal 
and careful of their means, and they succeeded in 
giving the children w^ho survived infancy good edu- 
cations and splendid Christian rearing. 

When he was a lad of six years John narrowly 

escaped death by fire. The incident made such an 

impression upon his mind that he never forgot it, 

and at a later period of his life, when he expected 

5 



66 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

to die from consumption, he wrote his own epitaph J 
and called himself '*a brand plucked from the burn- I 
ing." His early education was received at Char- \ 
terhouse School, a celebrated institution wherein 
many of England's greatest men have been given 
their first training, and which still is in existence. 
At the age of seventeen Wesley went from Char- 
terhouse to Oxford, long one of the seats of highest 
learning in England, and there entered Christ 
Church College, which was probably the best of the 
Oxford schools. 

It always had been his intention to enter the min- 
istry, and, therefore, after receiving his degree from 
Christ Church, he was ordained. This was in 1725. 
A year later he became a Fellow of Lincoln College, 
likewise an Oxford institution, but he soon left there 
to take charge of a church under his father at 
Wroote, a small village near Epworth. He was 
away two years, and in this time there arose at 
Oxford a movement which became the basis of 
Methodism. 

John's younger brother, Charles, the celebrated 
hymn writer, had become a student at Christ Church, 
and, with some others, had formed a little band 
who sought to live a better and more religious life 
than that of the other students, devoting additional 
hours to worship and the study of the Scriptures, 
and adopting certain rules for so doing. Their less- 
religious fellows nicknamed them ^^Methodists," but n 
Charles and his friends, instead of becoming angry, 
accepted the title and took pride in it. John, on 
his return from Wroote, instantly became the lead-, 
er of the '^Methodists," and they met in his rooms. 
Thus arose the name of the present church, and 
thus started the great movement that resulted in 
that church. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 67 

Wesley's life between 1729 and 1738 
'WeslT^^ ^^^y ^^ called his years of preparation 

Preparation, for his later work. He was neither 
satisfied with the life of the people nor 
with his own. He knew how unlike true Christians 
were all classes of the English people, and, best of 
all, he knew his own shortcomings. Through these 
years his one desire seems to have been to save his 
own soul, and, until he sought to save the souls of 
others, the real John Wesley did not appear. 

In 1735 he left England for Georgia to become 
spiritual adviser to the colony Sir James Oglethorpe 
had founded there, but he returned in two years 
conscious of failure. About this time he was great- 
ly influenced by the Moravians and their simple but 
rigid faith, and he actually fixes a date in the year 
^72^f when he attended a Moravian meeting in 
London, as the time of his conversion. At any 
rate, from this time seems to begin his real work. 

One of the Oxford ''Methodists,'' George White- 
field, had taken to preaching to the lower classes 
in the western part of England, carrying the gospel 
to men and women who had sunk almost to- the 
level of beasts, because of the indolence and laxity 
of the English clergy. While Whitefield had many 
of the elements of greatness he was by no means 
such a leader of men as Wesley, and he promptly 
called upon his friend for assistance. Wesley gave 
it, and his success was instant. Better than this, 
he saw that here was his life's business, and he 
addressed himself to it with the passion for hard 
wo-rk that was ever the keynote of his life. 

Soon Methodist societies arose in the districts 
where Wesley and Whitefield preached, but both 
men faced fearful odds. The English clergy was 
against them. Preaching in the open air was re- 



68 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

garded as wrong. The bishops and others looked 
with suspicion upon Methodist teaching, and upon 
the formation o-f bands for the Hving of a more 
Christian life. They did not seem to care about 
reforming the life and morals of the people, or lead- 
ing them to better things in religion. Wesley and 
his brethren soon found almost all the churches 
closed against them, but nevertheless they kept 
straight on. 

The movement spread with great rapid- 
SpreaZof ^^y and by the latter part o-f 1739 the 
the Faith, work was well under way. In London, 

Wesley hired an old, disused cannon 
foundry, which he fitted up as a chapel and preach- 
ing-place. This was the first Methodist church. 
Here he formed his first ''classes" and selected his 
first itinerant preachers. For many years it was the 
home of Methodism, and there, in 1744, the first 
Conference was held. 

From 1739 to 1742 the faith gained its first con- 
verts, and in the years from 1742 to 1760 it grew 
and extended almost over the whole o-f England. 
But it was a hard fight. Very often Wesley and 
his preachers were mobbed, and narrowly escaped 
death. Besides these obstacles, they had to con- 
tend with the opposition they met from the clergy 
of the English church. Wesley neither preached 
nor taught separation from that church and to the 
day of his death remained one of its clergy. What 
he really sought to do was to reform his church 
and bring intO' it the hundreds of thousands of the 
poor and ignorant that knew little of God and still 
less of religious life. In other words, he sought to 
save so'uls. Despite opposition and ridicule from 
the clergy and bitter warfare with it as well, despite 
the mob violence of the first ten years of his work, 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 69 

he went on with it, seeing it grow and prosper from 
year to year. 

By the year 1760 Methodism was upon 
"\Vesie'"^4 ^ ^^'^^ foundation all over England, but 
Life-work, it occupied a most peculiar position. It 
was a church within a church. It had 
no definite organization such as it has nowadays, 
but was really only part of the English church. 
Yet, if there were small differences in actual points 
of faith, there were great differences in practice. 
The Methodists were devoted, pious, and energetic; 
the others of the established church were just ex- 
actly the reverse. 

The Methodists, while maintaining nominal alle- 
giance to the church, had their classes, their bands, 
their lay preachers, their itinerants, their own places 
of worship, and their own head, Wesley himself. 
All reports were made to him ; he chose the preach- 
ers; organized their work, laid out their circuits, 
and superintended everything. He was always at 
work, from four o'clock in the morning until ten 
at night. In forty years he traveled more than 
250,000 miles, in the saddle mostly, and preached 
many thousands of sermons. His was the guiding 
mind; his the controlling hand. No other mere 
man, before or since, with the exception of Paul the 
Apostle, has done such a work. 

In the choice oi his lieutenants he was uniformly 
fortunate. He had that most rare faculty of know- 
ing his man as soon as he set eyes upon him. Had 
it not been for a difference of opinion regarding 
doctrine the alliance between Wesley and White- 
field would have endured. Both were men of rare 
preaching ability and both were great organizers. 
Wesley probably excelled as the preacher, since his 
influence has been wider; it is certain that he was 



70 The Churchmember's Guide 4^ 

the greater of the twO' with reference to organiza- 
tion. 

But Whitefield had a strong leaning toward Cal- 
vinism with regard to the character of Christ's 
atonement, while Wesley held that the atonement 
was for all mankind and not for a chosen or ^^elect'' 
number only. This difference — seemingly small — 
could not fail to be of vital importance in such en- 
thusiasts as were these two- men, and after the first 
few years Whitefield went intoi other scenes of labor, 
notably the Oglethorpe colony in Georgia. Still, 
Wesley had stalwart helpers in such men as his 
brother Charles, Thomas Maxfield, Francis Asbury, 
Thomas Coke, Vincent Perronet, and John Fletcher, 
and under them the bringing of converts into the 
fold never lagged. 

Wesley's death occurred in 1791, when he was 
but a few months short of completing his eighty- 
eighth year of life. He worked up to^ within a 
few weeks of his passing, his life going out like 
the flame of a candle that has burned steadily and 
serenely until there is no material upon which to 
feed the flame. His body rests in a vault in the 
City Road Chapel, in the heart of London, within 
sound of the city's vast traffic, where he so much' 
delighted to work. 

The last years of Wesley's life had in them much 
of anxiety for the faith he has built up. He was 
loath to leave it as it was, because he feared that, 
after his death and the removal of the master mind 
that controlled it, it might perish. He was anxious, 
too, as to what relation it would hold to the English 
church in which he died an ordained clergy- 
man. He had seen his people refused the sacra- 
ments at the altars of that church, because it re- 
garded their organizations and societies as unwar- 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 71 

ranted ; and yet it is plain that he did not wish them 
to separate from it and become what is known to 
the EngHsh as Dissenters. The church in America 
he took care to place upon its feet; but, with his 
loyalty to the British crown and the established 
church, he could do little for the people of his own 
land. Yet they, in the providence of God, worked 
out their own salvation after his death. 

Were Wesley alive to-day it doubtless 
Methodists ^ould be to the Methodists in Amer- 
in America, ica that he would turn as to- his most 
cherished children. They are by far 
the stronger and have done by far the greater work 
for the faith. 

It can be imagined that a religion such as Wesley 
preached in England soon would reach the shores 
of America, then under the rule of the mother- 
country as her colonies. It was one of the faiths 
of freedom and stood for the separation of church 
and state, and it could not fail to be received by the 
colonists, who, when Wesley began preaching, al- 
ready were growing restive under the tyranny of 
the British government. 

Some of Wesley's converts in England and Ire- 
land came tO' America about the year 1760, and it 
is extremely probable that knowledge of the faith's 
existence was known shortly after throughout all 
the colonies. But it is not until 1766 that we find 
definite work begun for the spread of It. 

In that year, Philip Embury, a man whom, in 
Ireland, John Wesley had licensed to preach, was 
moved by a fellow-immigrant, Mrs. Barbara Heck, 
to preach a sermon in New York, setting forth the 
Wesleyan principles. There were only a few hear- 
ers, but other sermons were preached and the audi- 
ences increased. Then a society on the Methodist 



72 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

basis was formed. Two years later the first Meth- 
odist church in America was built in John Street, 
New York, a British army officer, Captain Webb, 
aiding in the work. Just about this time one Rob- 
ert Strawbridge settled at a place called Sam's 
Creek, in Maryland, and began preaching Meth- 
odism, and later built a church. From these two 
beginnings came the present church in the United 
States. 

The workers for the cause soon sent 
FaitTspreads word to Wesley in England asking 
in America. for aid. The little band was small, 

but it was growing and it needed 
fostering care. Wesley, thus appealed to, sent two 
preachers in 1769, one taking charge at the John 
Street Church, in New York, and the other going to 
Philadelphia. But in 1771 came the man Amer- 
ican Methodists look upon as the apostle of the 
church in this country. This man was Francis 
Asbury. He was one of Wesley's earliest converts 
in the west of England, and was devoted to the 
cause, having been the first to volunteer when Wes- 
ley asked for men to go tO' America. He long had 
been an itinerant preacher, and soon after his arrival 
here Wesley made him superintendent of the Amer- 
ican itinerants. 

Under Asbury the faith prospered, and when 
the first conference in America was held, two years 
after his arrival, there were ten itinerant preachers, 
six circuits, and almost 1,200 members. In 1774, 
1775, and 1776, Robert Williams began to form 
circuits in Virginia and North Carolina, thus plant- 
ing the faith in the heart of the South. But, at 
this stage of the work, the Revolution broke out and 
things began to look very dark. Some of the itin- 
erants went back to England, but Asbury held 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 73 

bravely on, adding converts to the faith constantly, 
despite the bitter hatred of England and all things 
English that was abroad in the country. At the 
close of the war there, were no les^ than 15,000 mem- 
bers here, with 84 itinerant preachers disseminating 
the Word. Most of these were in the South, where 
great revivals had been held, and where the church 
had stood best the test of the Revolution. 

Before this period arrived, however, a 
Churdf * crisis came in the affairs of the faith. 
Founded. Like the English Methodists, the colonists 

were members, at least nominally, of the 
English church, but the English clergymen, to 
whom they had looked for the administration of the 
sacraments of The Lord's Supper and Baptism, had 
either gone home, refused to act, or fallen into such 
evil ways that the Methodists could not accept the 
ordinances at their hands. Wesley himself was at a 
loss as to what to do. A flourishing faith had been 
built up, which was rightfully clamoring for the 
churchly things that belonged to it. Its itinerant 
preachers had been taught that they were not author- 
ized to administer them, and unless something could 
be done it was plain to be seen that the faith even- 
tually must go to pieces. In 1779 a Conference 
was held at which little was done than to discuss 
these weighty matters; but, on the advice of Mr. 
Asbury, decision was reserved until Mr. Wesley's 
opinion could be obtained. 

Wesley himself had seen this state of things com- 
ing and repeatedly had asked the Bishop of London 
to ordain some of the Methodists' itinerants, so that 
the sacraments could be administered ; but the bish- 
op always had refused to grant the request. Wes- 
ley gave the matter long and serious thought. There 
was but one way out of the difficulty. He regarded 



74 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

himself as the man responsible tc God for the con- 
verts he had made and for the converts they, in turn, 
had made in America. He was, under Providence, 
their shepherd, and the sheep must be cared for and 
not allow^ed to go astray. 

With Wesley to decide was to act. Therefore 
he called his right-hand man, the Reverend Dr. 
Thomas Coke, and 'ordained him tO' the work of a 
bishop. At the same time he ordained two deacons, 
the Reverend Richard Whatcoat and the Reverend 
Thomas Vasey, to the work of presbyters. These 
three men he sent to America, with instructions to 
ordain Francis Asbury tO' the episcopate in fellow- 
ship with Dr. Coke, and also to raise various mem- 
bers of the American itinerant force to the work 
of presbyters. For this action Wesley was greatly 
criticised by his fellow-clergy of the Church of 
England; but he long had felt that bishops and 
presbyters were one and the same in ecclesiastical 
rank, and believed that he had done nothing more 
than his duty. Whatever the situation from the 
point of view of ecclesiasticism, something had to 
be done. Wesley always said that he had followed 
the dictates of his conscience and his interpretation 
of the Bible, in giving the American Methodists 
their heritage of religious freedom and their church. 

Coke's arrival in America, with his two presby- 
ters and their plenary authority, was hailed by the 
American Methodists with great joy, since they 
found themselves then in possession of a church 
distinctively their own. They at once set to work 
to organize it. Asbury was made bishop, and, at a 
conference held in Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, 
Maryland, beginning Christmas Day, 1784, the 
church was launched, taking the name of The Meth- 
odist Episcopal church in America. It also adopted 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 75 

the Discipline formulated by Mr. Wesley, with his 
Articles of Religion, General Rules and Ritual, 
which continue to be the fundamentals of the church 
to this day. 

From the day of its founding the 
The ^Church church continued to make rapid strides. 
South. It grew with the country. Beginning 

in the Middle and Southern states it 
spread out as fast as new regions were occupied 
and settled. Its preachers, riding their circuits as 
Wesley had ridden his in England, carried its doc- 
trines and practices from one state to the other, until 
no commonwealth was without its Methodists. 

Naturally there were dissensions and secessions. 
No church has been without them. Under the prov- 
idence of God such dissensions only work for His 
further glory, since they raise up earnest workers 
to carry a new faith or new practices to people who 
perhaps have not yet had the gospel. The Meth- 
odist Episcopal church has experienced its difficul- 
ties, with the others, and numerous churches and 
sub-denominations have been organized from it; 
but the chief dissension was over the question of 
slavery, as it was with the Baptists and, to a large 
extent, with the Presbyterians. 

This great problem, which eventually forced the 
nation to arbitrate it by means of the sword, early 
engaged the attention of the Methodists. It was 
discussed in its various phases at a number O'f dif- 
ferent Conferences, but no way to settle it to the 
satisfaction of both wings oi the church could be 
found. Each side seemed resolved to hold its own, 
and, finally, in 1844, ^ P^^^ of separation was drawn 
up. Under it the Southern states were to consti- 
tute a separately-governed church, with its own 
bishops and official machinery. In the following 



76 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

year the fourteen Southern Conferences had their 
delegates meet at Louisville, Kentucky, and The 
Methodist Episcopal church, South, was organized. 
Between the Northern and Southern wings there 
was practically no difference in administration, and 
certainly none in doctrine and practice. 

It is almost impossible to give com- 
of the P'^^^ statistics of the Methodist faith. 

Methodists. In round numbers, at the beginning of 
the year 1906, there were about 7,500,- 
000 Methodists in the world. This included all 
shades of the denomination and the colored church- 
es. Of this number, 4,761,520 were in the United 
States. The Northern wing of the church num- 
bered 3,148,211, and the Southern white wing i,- 
613,369. The pupils in the Southern Sunday- 
schools numbered 1,039,785. There were 15,248 
churches in the South and about 13,000 regular 
preachers. These were distributed among 47 Con- 
ferences. The monetary value of the churches was 
about $30,000,000. The 29,000 Northern church- 
es were valued at about $142,000,000, making the 
total value of the church property in the two main 
branches of the American church about $170,000,- 
000. To this may be added $31,000,000 for par- 
sonages. During the year 1905 the Southern 
churches alone paid out for various purposes close 
upon $8,000,000, of which $600,000 went for mis- 
sions. The entire American church during the 
same year gave more than $3,000,000 for missions. 
The Methodists long have worked in the 
and mission fields, both at home and abroad. 

Schools. The church's missionary society was or- 
ganized in 1 8 19 and has been continually 
at work ever since. It has devoted men and wom- 
en at labor in every field that promises a convert. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 77 

The Southern church is doing the same work wher- 
ever and whenever it can. Many of its mission- 
aries have laid down their Hves in the cause of the 
Master, but always there have been others willing 
to accept the crown of martyrdom in the same sta- 
tions. There are various missionary works going 
on in other lines. There is a huge tract society, a 
board for church extension, and a league for young 
people named after the village in which John Wes- 
ley was born. x\ll these institutions are in a flour- 
ishing condition. 

The faith controls a great number of universities, 
colleges, academies, schools, seminaries, and train- 
ing institutions of various sorts. These are valued 
at not less than $50,000,000, and not less than 50,- 
000 students attend them. They are scattered over 
the entire land, and some of the best of them are 
in the South. It has vast publishing houses. In 
this respect the Southern church is particularly well- 
supplied, the chief points being Nashville, Tennes- 
see, and Dallas, Texas. 

The doctrine John Wesley gave to the 
Methodists ^'^rld as Methodism was neither new 
Believe. nor complicated. He did not seek to 

promulgate either a new-fangled reli- 
gion or an original theology. He was essentially 
a great reformer, and what he sought to do was not 
to establish something startling in the way of dogma 
or belief, but to get people to live closer to God in 
the old faith and to work for its extension to those 
who had it not. Substantially, his doctrine taught 
that God's love and pardon are free to all those who 
wish to flee from the wrath to come, and that Jesus 
Christ died upon the cross in atonement for the 
sins o-f all mankind. This was the teaching of the 
English church, in which Wesley had been 



78 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

brought up and in which he died; but, alas! that 
church for years had failed tO' expound it, because of 
the remissness and indolence of its clergy. 

What Wesley did in the way of a new thing was 
to get people to accept his doctrine, and live the 
upright, Christian life any person thus accepting it 
should live. He brought about this result by means 
of the classes, bands, and societies he organized. 
At the same time he taught that nO' Christian could 
do a Christian's duty unless laboring tO' get some 
other person to accept the same faith and live the 
same life. Let us now go into details : 

Methodists believe in God the Father, God the 
Son, and God the Holy Ghost, three in one and 
eternal; in other words, the Holy Trinity. They 
reject the Calvinistic doctrines of predestination and 
election and that Christ's atonement was limited 
only to the elect. They lay special stress upon the 
lost condition of humanity without Christ, the free- 
dom of grace, and love, and pardon to all who will 
seek them, and the assurance of pardon to all who 
truly believe in the Saviour. Further, they declare 
that God leaves it to man's free will whether or not 
he wishes to be saved, and that, in this respect, God 
is merciful as well as just. 

Methodists regard as particularly important what 
is known to them as '^the witness of the Spirit." 
They hold it to be the privilege of every Chris- 
tian to have conscious knowledge of the pardon of 
sin ; in other words, they believe that the Holy Spirit 
conveys to the heart of the repentant and converted 
person the knowledge that he or she has been par- 
doned and is in truth a child of God. For this 
Yeason, as well as others, personal experience and 
testimony are looked upon by Methodists as things 
of high value. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 79 

The denomination also holds to the doctrine of 
justification by faith. This is declared to be the 
divine judicial act which gives a person who believes 
in Christ the full benefit of His atonement, an act 
divinely done for the believer, just as regeneration is 
done within the believer, at the time of the change 
of heart. Still, Methodists hold, it is possible for 
a person who has been truly regenerated and justi- 
fied to fall away and to be lost. This is called "fall- 
ing from grace, or the possibility of apostacy.'' The 
only way in which to prevent it, the faith declares, 
is constantly to be on the watch spiritually, to pray, 
to be devoted, to have faith, and to do good works. 
For this purpose Wesley used his bands and classes. 

In common with all other Protestant churches, 
Methodism teaches that there are only two sacra- 
ments — Baptism and The Lord's Supper. With re- 
gard to the former, the denomination teaches that 
sprinkling, pouring, and immersion are alike per- 
missible, but declares the weight of evidence to be 
in favor of the first-named method. It sees no 
wrong in the baptism of little children and infants, 
holding it to be perfectly proper and commanded 
of Christ: ''Suffer little children, and forbid them 
not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom 
of heaven" (Matthew xix. 14). The Lord's table 
is open to all baptized believers, whatever their de- 
nomination, their coming being regarded as the evi- 
dence of their faith and fitness. 

Government in The Methodist Epis- 
Church copal church and The Methodist 

Government. Episcopal church. South, is very much 
more complicated in system than in 
either of the churches heretofore discussed in this 
volume. To describe this system, which is a mod- 
ified form of episcopacy, it will be necessary to look 



80 The . Churchmember's Guide ^ 

first at the government of the individual churches 
and then at that of the church as a whole. 

In the first place, The Methodist church recog- 
nizes two orders in the ministry attached to it. The 
lower order is that of deacon. He is not a lay 
member, but a duly ordained minister, who has the 
right to perform all ministerial offices except that 
of consecrating the elements of The Lord's Supper. 
The higher order is that o-f presbyter, known also 
under the names of elder and pastor. The bishops 
of the church are not of a higher order than pres- 
byter, but are simply presbyters elected to a gov- 
erning office. They preside at certain of the Con- 
ferences, make appointments of preachers, form dis- 
tricts, circuits, and stations, decide questions O'f law 
and discipline, and oversee the temporal and spir- 
itual welfare of the whole church. They have no 
fixed dioceses, as in The Roman Catholic church, in 
the English church, and The Protestant Episcopal 
church, and have neither legislative nor voting pow- 
er in the Conferences. Another office tO' which 
presbyters are elected is that of presiding elder, a 
sort of half-way grade between the bishop and the 
pastor. He is in charge of a district containing not 
more than thirty pastoral charges, and travels 
through it to preach and to oversee, to make pas- 
toral appointments and changes in the interval be- 
tw^een conferences, to hold quarterly conferences in 
each charge, to maintain discipline, and to perform 
certain other duties. 

With regard to the laity, or the general body of 
church members, the church recognizes a number of 
ranks, which include exhorters, who are licensed 
to make evangelical addresses ; class-leaders, who 
lead small bands in spiritual affairs; stewards, who 
run the business affairs of the church and confer 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 81 

with the pastor over management; trustees, who 
hold in legal form all church property, and Sunday- 
school superintendents. 

A church has no power to choose or to change 
its pastor, nor a pastor to choose or to change his 
church. This right is surrendered, under the funda- 
mental law of the faith, to the bishops. In the 
Southern church no pastor can hold a charge for 
more than four consecutive years, or four appoint- 
ments, these appointments being made annually. 
The Northern church has removed this restriction, 
although it still retains to the bishop the annual 
appointing power. This method is peculiar to the 
denomination, and is called itinerancy. 

A pastoral charge may include more than one 
church or society, whence comes the plan of the 
circuit, the minister going from one to the other of 
his churches in turn. 

The churches are governed, and hold their rela- 
tion to the denomination as a whole, by means of a 
series of assemblies called conferences, beginning 
in the pastoral charge and going up to the assembled 
representatives of the entire church. The lowest 
of these bodies is called the Church Conference and 
has its origin in the individual church itself. It 
is pretty much the same as the business meeting in 
the Baptist churches, all members having the right 
to participate in it. The pastor reports on the state 
of the work in his own department, the class-leader 
on his, the Sunday-school superintendents on theirs, 
and the stewards on theirs. The conference has 
the right to strike ofif the rolls all such oi the mem- 
bership as has been lost to sight for a twelvemonth. 

The next body is the Quarterly Conference, which, 

as its name indicates, is held once every three 

months. In it the church as a unit continues to be 
6 



82 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

preserved. It consists of the pastor, such local and 
superannuated, or retired, preachers, and exhorters 
as there may be in the charge, stewards, class-lead- 
ers, superintendents, and the secretaries of the 
Church Conference. The presiding elder of the 
district is supposed to act as chairman of it, and, in 
his absence, the pastor. It takes account of the 
spiritual and temporal welfare of the charge, elects 
trustees, stewards, superintendents, licenses persons 
to exhort, and recommends persons to the District 
Conference for license to preach. 

The next body is the District Conference. It is 
composed of all the traveling and local preachers 
in the district (which may not number more than 
thirty charges), and a certain number of laymen 
from each charge. It is under the chairmanship of 
the presiding elder (unless a bishop be present). 
It looks into the spiritual and temporal welfare of 
the various churches, into the prospects for new 
fields, into the church finances and Sunday-schools, 
licenses persons to preach and elects four lay del- 
egates to the Annual Conference. 

The next higher body, the Annual Conference, 
is composed of all the pastors within certain bounds, 
and of four lay delegates from each presiding elder's 
district. A bishop usually presides, but in the ab- 
sence of one a president is chosen by the assembly. 
The conference hears reports from each district and 
charge, tries an}^ pastor under accusation, examines 
and admits candidates for deacon's or elder's or- 
ders, distributes funds for ministerial relief, chooses 
delegates, in certain pro'portions, from the ministers 
and laymen, to act as delegates to- the General Con- 
ference, and, through the presiding bishop or offi- 
cer, makes appointments of ministers to the various 
charges for the ensuing year. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 83 

The highest assemblage of all is the General Con- 
ference. Here is the supreme governing body of 
the church, and the one which makes the laws. It 
is composed oi all the bishops O'f the church and the 
delegates from the various Annual Conferences. 

The General Conference meets once every four 
years. Its duties are to elect bishops when neces- 
sary; to create and readjust the boundaries of the 
Annual Conferences; to revise the laws and rule 
of the Discipline (the governing law of the church) ; 
to look after foreign missions, to oversee the wel- 
fare of the whole church, and to elect certain de- 
nominational officers. It can make all manner of 
laws, but it cannot change the fixed number of del- 
egates from each Conference, according to its size; 
cannot destroy the episcopacy or the itinerancy, can- 
not change the rules of the societies, cannot do away 
with the privilege of trial, and cannot do some other 
things except by a majority of two-thirds of the 
General Conference, and the concurrence of three- 
fourths of the Annual Conferences' members. 

In order to maintain the purity of its doctrines 
and articles of religion additional safeguards are 
thrown around them. The General Conference 
cannot alter them unless they are recommended by 
all of the Annual Conferences, passed by a two- 
thirds majority of the next General Conference and 
receive approval by the College of Bishops. If 
the bishops veto the proposition, it must go back to 
the Conferences and the General Conference must 
pass it again by a two-thirds vote, while three- 
fourths of the Annual Conferences must concur. 

One of the most noticeable things pe- 

of New culiar to Methodism is the broadness of 

Hembers. its conditions for membership. Like all 

evangelical churches, the Methodists ad- 



84 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

mit all persons who profess conversion. But they 
also go a step beyond this, taking in penitent seek- 
ers after God as well. This explains the phrase that 
long has been a battle-cry of the followers of John 
Wesley: 'The Methodist church admits all those 
who desire to flee from the wrath to- come." The 
faith holds that it has no right to turn away an 
unconverted person who is striving honestly and 
earnestly to find Christ. The only condition for 
the admission of such persons is an expressed will- 
ingness to be saved, to abstain from doing evil and 
to do good instead, and to attend upon the ordi- 
naoices oi God. Such a state, Methodists hold, 
ripens into true conversion, repentance toward God, 
and faith in Jesus Christ. 

Converted persons and those who are ad- 

« mitted as seekers after God are baptized 

Baptism, as soon as the pastor is convinced of their 

sincerity. The ordinance of Baptism is 
administered only by an ordained minister, and nev- 
er by laymen. The method is usually that of 
sprinkling, although pouring and immersion are re- 
garded as equally valid, pouring being simply the 
freer use of water than sprinkling. If the candi- 
date so desires immersion will be the fonn used, 
although the church holds the weight of evidence to 
be in favor of sprinkling. It believes that the real 
baptism is the regenerating influence of the Holy 
Spirit in the heart, and that water baptism is simply 
the sign of this grace, and they regard sprinkling 
as the best method of illustrating its descending 
character. 

The rite is administered at any Sunday service, 
either before or after, as the pastor may elect, and 
for it the church has provided a definite and set 
form, which is here set out : 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 85 

The minister, coming to the font, which is to be filled with 
pure water, shall use the following-, or some other 
suitable exhortation : 

Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are con- 
ceived and bom in sin (and that which is born 
of the flesh is flesh, and they that are in the flesh 
cannot please God, but live in sin, committing 
many actual transgressions), and that our Sav- 
iour Christ saith. Except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom 
of God; I beseech you to call upon God the Fa- 
ther, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his 
bounteous mercy he will grant to these persons/ 
now to be baptized with water, that which by 
nature they cannot have; that they may be bap^ 
tized with the Holy Ghost^ received into Christ's 
holy Church, and be made lively members of 

the same. 

Then shall the minister say, 

Almighty and immortal God, the aid of all that 
need, the helper of all that flee to thee for suc- 
cor, the life of them that believe, and the resur- 
rection of the dead: we call upon thee for these 
persons now to be baptized. Receive them, O 
Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well-beloved 
Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and 
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 
yo'u; so give now unto us that ask; let us that 
seek find ; open the gate unto us that knock ; that 
these persons may enjoy the everlasting benefit 
of thy heavenly washing, and may come to the 
eternal kingdom which tho'U hast promised by 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then shall the people stand up, and the minister shall say. 
Hear the word of the Gospel, written by St. John, in the 
third chapter, beginning at the third verse. 

There was a man o-f the Pharisees, named Nic- 



86 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

odemus, a ruler of the Jews : the same came to 
Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we 
Know that thou art a teacher come from God; 
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 
except God be with him. Jesus answered and 
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say untO' "thee. 
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, 
How can a man be born when he is old? Can 
he enter a second time into his mother's womb, 
and be born? Jesus answered. Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee^ Except a man be born of water, 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom 
of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; 
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 
Marvel not that I said unto thee. Ye must be 
bom again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, 
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not 
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth ; so is 
every one that is born of the Spirit. 

Then the minister shall speak to the persons to be bap- 
tized on this wise : 

Well-beloved, who are come hither, desiring 
to receive holy baptism, ye have heard how^ the 
congregation hath prayed that our Lord Jesus 
Christ would vouchsafe to receive you, and bless 
you, to release you of your sins, to- give you the 
kingdom of heaven and everlasting life. And 
our Lord Jesus Christ hath promised in his holy 
word to grant all those things that we have prayed 
for; which promise he for his part will most 
surely keep and perform. 

Wherefore after this promise made by Christ, 
ye must also faithfully, for your part, promise, 
in the presence of this whole congregation, that 
ye will renounce the devil and all his works, and 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 87 

constantly believe God's holy word, and obe- 
diently keep his commandments. 

Then shall the minister demand of each of the persons to 
be baptized, severally : 

Question. Dost thou renounce the devil and 
all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the 
world, with all covetous desires of the same, and 
the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt 
not follow or be led by them ? 

Answ\er, I renounce them all. 

Ques. Dost thou believe in God the Father Al- 
mighty, Maker of heaven and earth? and in Je- 
sus Christ his only Son our Lord? that he was 
conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin 
Mary? that he suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified, dead, and buried? that the third 
day he rose again from the dead ? that he ascended 
into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of 
God the Father Almighty? and from thence he 
shall come to judge the quick and the dead? And 
dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy 
catholic Church; the communion of saints; the 
forgiveness of sins ; the resurrection of the body ; 
and the life everlasting? 

Ans, All this I steadfastly believe. 

Ques. Wilt thou be baptized in this faith? 

Ans. This is my desire. 

Ques. Wilt thou then obediently keep God's 
holy will and commandments, and walk in the 
same all the days of thy life? 

Ans. I will endeavor so to do, God being my 
helper. 

Then shall the minister say, 

O merciful God, grant that the old Adam in 
these persons may be so buried that the new man 
may be raised up in them. Amen. 



88 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Grant that all carnal affections may die in them, 
and that all things belonging to the Spirit may 
live and grow in them. Amen. 

Grant that they may have power and strength 
to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, 
the world, and the flesh. Amen, 

Grant that they, being here dedicated to thee, 
by our office and ministry, may also be endued 
with heavenly virtues and everlastingly rewarded 
thro'Ugh thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who 
dost live and govern all things, world without 
end. Amen. 

Almighty, ever-living God, whose most dearly 
beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of 
our sins, did shed out of his most precious side 
both water and blood, and gave commandment to 
his disciples, that they should go teach all nations, 
and baptize them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: regard, we 
beseech thee, the supplications of this congrega- 
tion; and grant that the persons now to be bap- 
tized may receive the fullness of thy grace, and 
ever remain in the number of thy faithful and 
elect children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then shall the minister take each person to be baptized by 
the right hand; and placing him conveniently by the 
font, according to his discretion, shall ask the name, 
and then shall sprinkle or pour water upon him (or, 
if he shall desire it, shall immerse him in water), saying, 

N., I baptize thee in the name of the Father, 

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

The minister may, at his discretion, lay hands on the sub- 
ject, accompanying the act with a suitable invocation. 

After baptism new members are received into the 
church and recognized in due form. For this the 
faith has ordained the use of the following: 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 89 

The minister shall cause the candidates to be placed con- 
venientl}^ before the congregation, and after baptizing 
any who may not have been previously baptized, he 
shall say, 

Brethren, the Church is O'f God, and will be 
preserved to the end of time, for the promotion 
of his worship and the due administration of his 
word and ordinances — ^the maintenance of Chris- 
tian fellowship and discipline^ — the edification of 
believers, and the conversion of the world. All, 
of every age and station, stand in need of the 
means of grace which it alone supplies; and it 
invites all alike to become fellow-citizens with 
the saints and of the household of God. But as 
none who have arrived at years of discretion can 
remain within its pales, or be admitted tO' its 
communion, without assuming its obligations, it 
is my duty to demand of these persons present 
whether they are resolved to assume the same. 
Then shall the minister address the candidates, as follows : 

Dearly beloved, you profess to have a desire to 
flee from the wrath to- come, and to be saved from 
your sins ; you seek the fellowship of the people 
of God, to assist you in working out your salva- 
tion ; I therefore demand of you : 

Do you solemnly, in the presence of God and 
this congregation, ratify and confirm the promise 
and vow of repentance, faith, and obedience, con- 
tained in the baptismal covenant ? 

Ans, I do, God being my helper. 

Will you be subject to the discipline of the 
Church, attend upon its ordinances, and support 
its institutions? 

Ans, I will endeavor so to do-, by the help of 
God. 

The minister shall then say to the candidates : 
We rejoice to recognize you as members of 



90 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

the Church of Christ, and bid you welcome to all 
its privileges ; and in token of our brotherly love, 
we give you the right hand of fellowship, and 
pray that you may be numbered with his people 
here, and with his saints in glory everlasting. 
The minister shall then say to the congregation : 
Brethren, I commend to your love and care 
these persons whom we this day recognize as 
members of the Church of Christ. Doi all in 
yo'ur power to increase their faith, confirm their 
hope, and perfect them in love. 

Then may follow a hymn suitable to the occasion (as 749- 
753), and the minister shall say: 

Let us pray. 
Almighty God, we thank thee for founding 
thy Church, and promising that the gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it. We bless thee for 
calling us to the fellowship of thy people, and for 
numbering us with the sons and daughters of the 
Lord Almighty. We especially praise thy name 
for enabling these thy servants tO' avouch the 
Lord to be their God. Help them tO' perform the 
promise and vow which they have made, toi re- 
nounce the devil, the world, and the flesh ; tO' be- 
lieve the record which thou hast given of thy Son; 
and to walk in all thy commandments and ordi- 
nances blameless, to the end of their lives. May 
their communion with thy people be sanctified to 
their growth in grace and in the knowledge of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, being nour- 
ished and knit together, increasing with the in- 
crease of God. May thy people do them good, 
and may they prove a blessing to thy people. 
And grant, O Lord, that all who are here mem- 
bers of thy militant Church, through thy mercy, 
the merit of thy Son, and the grace of thy Spirit, 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 91, 

may finally be made members of thy triumphant 
Church in heaven. Amen. 

Almighty and everlasting God, Heavenly Fa- 
ther, we give thee humble thanks, for that thou 
hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of 
thy grace, and faith in thee: increase this knowl- 
edge and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give 
thy Holy Spirit to these persons, that they, being 
born again, may be made heirs of everlasting sal- 
vation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth 
and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, now 
and forever. Amen. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our 
daily bread; and fo-rgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead 
us not into temptatio-n, but deliver us from evil. 
Amen. 

With regard to infant baptism Methodists hold 
that in the old Jewish church there was infant mem- 
bership and that in the New Testament church, 
which succeeded it, this rule was not altered. With 
the Jews circumcision was the initiatory rite; with 
Christians it is baptism. Like circumcision it is a 
dedication to God's service. They also hold that 
Jesus himself recognized infant membership in the 
Church when He said: '^Suffer little children, and 
forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is 
the kingdom of heaven." And for the purposes of 
infant baptism the Methodist faith has its set form 
of ceremony, sponsors answering for the child. It 
follows : 

The minister, coming to the font, which is to be filled with 
pure water, shall use the following, or some other suit- 
able exhortation : 

Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are con- 



92 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

ceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour 
Christ saith, Except a man be born of water and 
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of God : I beseech you to call upon God the Fa- 
ther, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his 
bounteous goodness he will grant to this child, 
now to be baptized with water, that which by 
nature he cannot have: that he may be baptized 
with the Holy Ghost, received into Christ's holy 
Church, and be made a lively member of the same. 

Then shall the minister say, 
Let us pray. 

Almighty and everlasting God, we beseech thee 
for thine infinite mercies, that thou wilt look upon 
this child: wash him and sanctify him with the 
Holy Gho'St; that he being saved by thy grace, 
may be received into the ark of Christ's Church, 
and being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, 
and rooted in love, may so pass the waves of this 
troublesome world, that finally he may come to 
the land of everlasting life, there to reign with 
thee, world without end, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

O merciful God, grant that the old Adam in 
this child may be so buried, that the new man 
may be raised up in him. Amen, 

Grant that all carnal affections may die in him^ 
and that all things belonging to the Spirit may 
live and grow in him. Amen. 

Grant that he may have power and strength 
to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, 
the world, and the flesh. Amen. 

Grant that whosoever is dedicated to thee by 
our office and ministry may also be indued with 
heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded 
through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 93 

dost live and govern all things, world v^ithout 
end. Amen. 

Almighty, ever-living God, whose most dearly 
beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of 
our sins, did shed out of his most precious side 
both water and blood, and gave commandment to 
his disciples that they should go- teach all nations, 
and baptize them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: regard, we 
beseech thee, the supplications of thy congrega- 
tion; and grant that this child, now to be bap- 
tized, may receive the fullness of thy grace, and 
ever remain in the number oi thy faithful and 
elect children, throngh Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen, 

Then shall the people stand up ; and the minister shall say, 

Hear the words of the Gospel, written by St. Mark, in the 

tenth chapter, at the thirteenth verse. 

They brought young children to Christ, that 
he should touch them. And his disciples rebuked 
tho'se that brought them; but when Jesus saw it, 
he was much displeased, and said unto them, 
Suffer the little children to comiC unto me, and 
forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of 
God. Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall 
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, 
he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in 
his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed 
them. 

Then the minister, addressing the parents, or others pre- 
senting the child, shall say, 

In causing this child to be brought by baptism 
into the Church of Christ, it is your duty to teach 
him to renounce the devil and all his works, the 
vain pomp and glory of the world, with all cov- 
etous desires of the same, and the carnal desires 
of the flesh, so that he may not follow or be led 



94 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

by them; to believe all the articles of the Chris- 
tian faith ; and to obediently keep God's holy will 
and commandments all the days of his life. 

Then the minister shall take the child into his hands, if 
convenient, and say to the friends of the child, 

Name this child. 

And then, naming it after them, he shall sprinkle or pour 
water upon it (or, if desired, immerse it in water), 
saying, 

N.J I baptize thee in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

The minister may, at his discretion, lay hands on the sub- 
ject, accompanying the act with a suitable invocation, 
and then, all kneeling, close with extemporaneous de- 
votions and the Lord's Prayer : 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
•name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on 
earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our 
daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we 
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead 
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
Amen. 

Methodists are taught to have their children bap- 
tized as early in life as may be convenient, and 
thereafter it is one of the pastor's responsibilities 
tO' look after the spiritual welfare of the children, 
and to teach and instruct them' in religious affairs. 
As soon as they comprehend the responsibilities of 
the Christian life and a public profession of it, and 
show a determination to discharge their duties as 
members of the church they can be given the form 
of recognition, as set out on a previous page. 

The sacrament of The Lord's Supper, in 
The 
Lord's ^^^ Methodist faith, is not only a symbol 

Supper. of the love and communion of Christian 

brethren, but an outward and visible sign 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 95 

of the redemption of men through Christ's death, 
and a perpetual memorial of that death until His 
coming again. Further than this, it is a symbolic 
feeding upon Christ's body and blood as a means for 
the spiritual preservation of the believer's body and 
soul. 

This must not be misunderstood to have any con- 
nection whatever with the Romanist doctrine of 
transubstantiation, or actual changing of the bread 
and the wine into the body and blood of the Saviour. 
Such a thing is not to be tolerated in the mind of a 
Protestant for a single moment, since it is one of 
the grave errors and heresies into which the Roman- 
ists have fallen. The bread and the wine are sim- 
ply symbols of the Redeemer's body and blood, and 
the communicant only symbolically feeds, gaining 
spiritual sustenance therefrom, just as the great and 
dying leader of a cause might give his picture to his 
followers and say: ^'Here am I. As often as you 
look upon me after I am gone, let the remembrance 
this picture of me brings tO' you give you courage 
and comfort and strength for the continuance of 
the work of the cause in my name." 

The Lord's Supper is observed usually once a 
month in Methodist churches, although some, nota- 
bly those in country districts, observe it only once a 
quarter, or three months. The table is open to all 
believers, of all faiths, their coming to it being re- 
garded as sufficient token oi belief. All are ex- 
pected to be in love and charity with their neighbor, 
truly and earnestly repenting of their sins. In the 
colored churches of the South it is often desirable, 
because of general conditions, to have communion 
at night. 

The table is spread either upon the chancel, with a 
rail in front, at which the communicants can kneel 



96 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

while the minister is distributing the elements, or 
between the platform and the first row of seats, 
Methodist practice taking into consideration the 
scruples of those who prefer to commune standing 
or sitting. For the ordinance the church has pre- 
scribed a set form. It follows : 

The elder shall read one or more of these sentences, dur- 
ing the reading of which the stewards shall take up the 
collection for the poor. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your Fa- 
ther which is In heaven. Matt. v. i6. 

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves break through and steal; but lay up for 
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not 
break through nor steal. Matt. vi. 19, 20. 

Whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law 
and the prophets. Matt. vii. 12. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom o-f heaven; but he 
that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven. Matt. vii. 21. 

Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Be- 
hold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the 
poor; and if I have taken anything from any 
man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 
Luke xix. 8. 

He which soweth sparingly shall reap also 
sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall 
reap also bountifully. Every man according as 
he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not 
grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a 
cheerful giver. 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 97 

As we have therefore op'portunity, let us do 
good unto all men, especially unto them who' are 
of the household of faith. Gal. vi. lo. 

Godliness with contentment is great gain; for 
we brO'Ught nothing into this world, and it is 
certain w^e can carry nothing out. i Tim. vi. 6, 7. 

Charge them that are rich in this world that 
they be ready to distribute, willing to communi- 
cate, laying up in store for themselves a good 
foundation against the time tO' come, that they 
may lay hold on eternal life, i Tim. vi. 17-19. 

God is not unrighteous tO' forget your work and 
labor of love, which ye have showed toward his 
name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, 
and do minister. Heb. vi. 10. 

To do good, and to communicate, forget not; 
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb. 
xiii. 16. 

Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his 
brother have ijeed, and shutteth up his bowels of 
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of 
. God in him? i John iii. 17. 

He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto 
the Lord; and that which he hath given will he 
pay him again. Prov. xix. 17. 
. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the 
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. Ps. 
xh. I. 

Then shall J;he elder read this invitation : 

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your 
sins, and are in love and charity with your 
neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, follow- 
ing the commandments of God, and walking from 
henceforth in his holy ways, draw near with 
faith, and take this holy sacrament to your com- 
7 



98 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

fort, and make your humble confession tO' Al- 
mighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees. 

Then shall tliis general confession be made by the minis- 
ter, in the name of all those who are minded to receive 
the holy communion, both he and all the people kneel- 
ing humbly upon their knees, and saying: 

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Maker of all things. Judge of all men, we ac- 
knowledge and bewail our rhanifold sins aoid 
wickedness, which we from time to time most 
grievously have committed, by thought, word, and 
deed, against thy Divine Majesty, provoking most 
justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We 
do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for 
these our misdoings : the remembrance of them is 
grievous unto us. Have mercy upon us, have 
mercy upon us, most merciful Father: for thy 
Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive us all 
that is past, and grant that we may ever hereafter 
serve and please thee in newness of life, to the 
honor and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen, 

Then shall the elder say, 

O Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who 
of thy great mercy hast promised forgiveness of 
sins to all them that with hearty repentance and 
true faith turn to- thee : have mercy upon us ; par- 
don and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and 
strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to 
everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

The Collect. 

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, 
all desires known, and from whom no secrets are 
hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the 
inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may per- 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 99 

fectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy 
name, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
Then shall the elder say, 

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, 
that we should at all times, and in all places, give 
thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, 
everlasting God. 

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with 
all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify 
thy glorious name, evermore praising thee, and 
saying. Holy, • holy, holy. Lord God of hosts, 
heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be 
to thee, O Lord most high. Amen. 

Then shall the elder say, 

We do not presume to come to this thy table, 
O merciful Lord, trusting in 'our own righteous- 
ness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We 
are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs 
under thy table. But thou art the same Lord 
whose property is always tO' have mercy: Grant 
us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of 
thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, 
that our sinful souls and bodies may be made clean 
by his death, and washed through his most pre- 
cious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in 
him, and he in us. Amen. 

Then the elder shall say the prayer of consecration, as 

followeth : 

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who of 
thy tender mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus 
Christ to sufifer death upon the cross for our re- 
demption; who made there (by his oblation of 
himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient 
sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of 
the whole world; and did institute, and in his 



100 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

holy gospel command us to continue, a perpetual 
memory of that his precious death until his com- 
ing again: hear us, O merciful Father, we most 
humbly beseech thee, and grant that we, receiv- 
ing these thy creatures of bread and wine, accord- 
ing to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's holy 
institution, in remembrance of his death and pas- 
sion, may be partakers of his most blessed body 
and blood : who in the same night that he was 
betrayed took bread; and when he had given 
thanks, he brake it, and gave it tO' his disciples, 
saying. Take, eat; this is my body which is giv- 
en for you ; do this in remembrance of me. Like- 
wise after supper he took the cup: and when he 
had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying. 
Drink ye all of this ; for this is my blood oL the 
New Testament, which is shed for you and for 
many, for the remission of sins : do this, as oft 
as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me. Amen, 

Then shall the minister first receive the communion in 
both kinds himself, and then proceed to deliver the 
same to the other ministers in like manner, if any be 
present. Then shall he say the Lord's Prayer, the people 
still kneeling and repeating after him every petition : 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on 
earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day O'ur 
daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as 
we forgive those who trespass against us; and 
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from 
evil ; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and 
the glory, forever and ever. Amen. 

Then a hymn may be sung, and the communicants shall 
be invited to the table. The minister shall deliver both 
kinds to the people into their hands. When he deliver- 
eth the bread, he shall say. 

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 101 

given for thee, preserve thy soul and body unto 
everlasting life. Take and eat this in remem- 
brance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him 
in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving. 

And the minister that delivereth the cup shall say, 

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was 
shed for thee, preserve thy soul and body unto 
everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that 
Christ's blood was shed for thee, and be thankful. 

When all have communicated, the minister shall return to 
the Lord's table, and place upon it what remaineth of 
the consecrated elements, covering the same with a fair 
linen cloth. 

The minister may then say as followeth : 

O Lord and Heavenly Father, we thy humble 
servants desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully 
to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanks- 
giving, most humbly beseeching thee to grant that, 
by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, 
and through faith in his blood, we and thy whole 
Church may obtain remission oi our sins, and all 
other benefits of his passion. And here we offer 
and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our 
souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and 
lively sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee 
that all we who are partakers of this holy com- 
munion may be filled with thy grace and heavenly 
benediction. And although we be unworthy, 
through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any 
sacrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our 
bounden duty and service ; not weighing our mer- 
its, but pardoning our offenses, through Jesus 
Christ our Lo-rd: by whom, and with whom, in 
the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honor and glory 
be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without 
end. Amen. 



102 The Churclimember^s Guide ^ 

Then may be said, 

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, 
good-will toward men. We praise thee, we bless 
thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give 
thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, 
heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. 

O Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ: 
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, 
that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy 
on us. Thou that takest away the sins of the 
world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest 
away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. 
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the 
Father, have mercy upon us. 

For tho'U only art holy ; thou only art the Lord ; 
tho'U only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most 
high in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 

Then the elder, if he see it expedient, may put up an ex- 
temporaneous prayer; and afterwards shall let the peo- 
ple depart with this blessing: 

May the peace of God, which passeth all un- 
derstanding, keep your hearts and minds in the 
knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus 
Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Al- 
mighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
be among you, and remain with you always. 
Amen. 

If the elder be straitened for time, he may omit any part 
of the service except the prayer of consecration. 

If the consecrated bread or wine be all spent before all 
have communicated, the elder may consecrate more, by 
repeating the prayer of consecration. 

Let those who have scruples concerning the receiving of 
the communion kneeling, be permitted to receive it 
either standing or sitting; but no person shall be ad- 
mitted to the Lord's Supper among us who is guilty of 
any practice for which we would exclude a member of 
our Church. 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 103 



Forms 



Discipline in The Methodist church is 

maintained with strictness and justice. 
of 
Discipline. Its object, Methodists hold, is not only 

to insure the welfare of the faith but to 
foster the growth of the individual in spiritual grace. 
One of the foundation-stones of the doctrine, as 
Wesley gave it to his followers, is constantly to 
strive for the keeping up of the religious and Chris- 
tian life. To this end he laid down a series of Gen- 
eral Rules for the guidance of Methodists. They 
were practically those that he and his Oxford com- 
panions had used, and, substantially, they forbade 
the doing of evil, enjoined the doing of good, and 
looked to the attainment oi spiritual grace. These 
rules are the basis of the discipline of the whole 
church. 

Administration of them is carried out by means 
of direct and set forms, provided for in the general 
law of the faith. Disputes between members are 
settled by three arbitrators, and the party against 
whom decision is rendered has the right of appeal 
to the Quarterly Conference. In minor breaches 
of discipline and to punish the dissemination of bad 
doctrine, the offender is first admonished by the 
pastor, and, failing then to show signs of amend- 
ment or contrition, later may be brought to trial as 
for immorality or any of the higher offenses. 

In bringing a person to trial charges in writing 
must first be made. They must be based upon 
breaches of the General Rules, the doctrine of the 
church, or Scriptural command. The pastor sends 
a committee to investigate and report as to whether 
or not a trial is necessary. This committee, of 
course, must be composed of persons not connected 
with the case, either as principals, known witnesses, 
and, if possible, probable witnesses. If a trial is 



104 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

reported to be necessary, the committee draws up 
an indictment and appoints a prosecutor. A com- 
mittee of trial of from five to thirteen members of 
the accused's church is then named. The accused 
is then notified of the charges. He has the right to 
challenge for cause all the members of the commit- 
tee, as well as tO' challenge peremptorily in the pro- 
portion of two in five members. Both sides can call 
witnesses, cross-examine them and address the court. 
Acquittal or conviction is reached by majority vote. 
In the latter case the convicted person can be sus- 
pended or expelled. 

Local preachers are amenable to the District Con- 
ference, and the form of trial is the same as that 
pursued in the case of an ordinary member, except 
that the court is composed O'f local preachers. If 
convicted, he has the right of appeal to the Annual 
Conference. Deacons, pastors, and presiding elders 
are amenable to the Annual Conference, and are tried 
by their equals in rank, and have the right of appeal 
to the General Conference. Bishops are amenable to 
the General Conference. They can be tried by the 
Conference's Committee on Episcopacy, and the 
right of appeal is to the General Conference itself. 

The formation of a new church of the 
a New Methodist faith requires more official 
Church. procedure than in the denominations here- 
tofore considered. It is about as follows : 

Churches usually are started as the result of off- 
shoots from other larger churches, or where mis- 
sions or revivals have been held. Permission is 
first secured from, the church officials whose author- 
ity takes in the neighborhood. Plans are then con- 
sidered for the site and building, and committees 
selected to report upon the matter of cost. This is 
a very vital question, as the faith is opposed to the 



^ The Methodist Episcopal Church 105 

creation of heavy church debts. The sum of money 
having first been decided upon as the amount neces- 
sary for the new building, it is obHgatory upon the 
part of those who seek to form the new congrega- 
tion to raise monc).^ for the work. 

Three-fourths of the sum needed must be pro- 
vided by the new congregation. With this amount 
the congregation can apply through the proper au- 
thorities for assistance from a body known as the 
Church Extension Board. This board, which is 
continually in existence, was created for the purpose 
of aiding in the erection of churches and for the 
keeping of all debt incurred in such work within the 
denomination itself. The board not only gives but 
makes loans, according to the amount needed by 
the incipient congregation. 

All church property is held in the name of the 
denomination itself, and not in the name of the in- 
dividual church. . With the consent of the proper 
authorities, however, individual churches may sell 
or exchange their property for other property 
through the trustees of the individual church. 

* * 4^ 



THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 



The Presbyterian denomination, as 
^^^^^ it stands to-day, is an outgrowth of 

Presbyterians, the Reformation period, when men, 
seeking a free reHgion in a free state, 
rose up against the abuses of the prelacy as em- 
bodied in the church of Rome. In its history ap- 
pear some names great in the world's religious af- 
fairs, while some of the tenets of its faith and prac- 
tice have been adopted by other Protestant denom- 
inations. The chief doctrines of its greatest ex- 
ponent, John Calvin, appear in the fundamental of 
two or three faiths that do not use the word ''pres- 
byterian" as a part of their church designation. 

Before tracing the origin and rise of the present- 
day church, it will be necessary to give some ade- 
quate explanation of the term which gives the de- 
nomination its Oifficial title. Broadly defined, the 
phrase ^^The Presbyterian church" means the church 
of the presbyter or elder, since the word '^presbyter" 
is derived from a Greek word, preshuteros, mean- 
ing elder, senior, advanced in life, which word ap- 
pears many times in the original Greek version of 
the New Testament. In early Christian times the 
name was applied to certain high church officers, 
whose exact rank and functions are differently re- 
garded by different writers and different faiths. 

Presbyterians hold, according to their interpreta- 
tion of Scripture, that originally bishops and pres- 
byters were the same, that they governed the 
(106) 



^ The Presbyterian Church 107 

churches, and that gradually the ofifice of bishop 
was used as a means of improperly centralizing pow- 
er and depriving the presbyters or ministers of their 
rightful rank as heads of the churches. It is to 
return to this system of government by presby- 
ters, or elders, or pastoirs, that Presbyterians desire, 
holding that in the Church as established by Christ 
and His apostles there was no grade or rank of 
minister superior to that of the presbyter. There- 
fore, Presbyterianism, in so far as government is 
concerned, is that form of Christianity which rules 
its churches by means of bodies of presbyters, or 
ministers, and elders, all possessed of equal power. 

While, as has been said, modern Presbyterianism 
had its beginnings in the Reformation and the pe- 
riod of religious unrest that immediately preceded 
it, its principles can be traced back through history, 
according to the denomination's historians, almo'St 
to the apostolic age. Several sects of early Chris- 
tian times and pre-Reformation centuries, including 
the Culdees, Albigenses, and Waldenses, are said 
to have held Presbyterian ideals, particularly with 
relation to government. 

Coming down to the time when Martin 
and His Luther was hammering away at the Ro- 
Work. manists in Germany there was growing 

up elsewhere, during the same period, a 
movement of separation from the papal authority. 
If anything, the situation was worse in France, 
Italy, and Spain than in Germany ; for the Southern 
European nations were not so quick tO' see and fight 
Roman error as were the more independent Ger- 
mans and Bohemians. But, in France, a man had 
been born who was to be one of the great standard- 
bearers oi Protestantism. He was John Calvin, or 
rather that is the form in which his name has been 



108 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

handed down, and by which he is best known to 
men of modern times. 

Calvin came into the world at a place called 
Noyon, in Picardy, a French province, in 1509. 
He was destined by his family to become a monk, 
and studied for the Roman church. But doubts 
about its authority and practices entered his mind, 
and he abandoned the idea of becoming a priest. 
Finally he was converted to the reformed faith, and, 
in consequence, underwent much hardship and per- 
secution, taking refuge in Switzerland, where the 
reformers were practically in control. There, at 
the age of twenty-seven, he published his greatest 
work, 'The Institutes of the Christian Religion.'' 
A few years later we find him in Geneva, the chief 
Swiss city, teaching the doctrine which has come to 
be called by his name, and taking the lead in the 
founding of a church which may justly be called 
the parent of the present Presbyterian denomination. 

After this his rise to leadership and power was 
rapid. He gave the faith in Geneva a system o-f 
government and discipline, and, after withdrawing 
his following from the support of Luther, contin- 
ued to hold his influence over the Swiss almost until 
the day of his death, which occurred when he was 
abo'Ut fifty-five years old, in 1564. His differences 
with Luther were largely over the significance of 
The Lord's Supper. 

In the meantime the faith had taken root in 
France. P-rior to the time of Calvin various Prot- 
estant movements had arisen there; but none had 
been permitted to live long enough to leave a lasting 
impression. Calvin's doctrine, however, obtained 
a foothold at a good time, and soon a large body of 
Protestant believers came into existence. The Ro- 
man Catholics called them Huguenots, and among 



^ The Presbyterian Church 109 

their number were some of the most influential men 
and women of the kingdom. Long years of bloody 
civil war ensued, in which first the Huguenots and 
then the Romanists were on top. During these 
troubles occurred the celebrated St. Bartholomew's 
massacre, so-called because it took place on St. Bar- 
tholomew's Day (August 25), 1572, in which the 
unfortunate Huguenots were slaughtered by the Ro- 
manists like so many sheep. After this followed a 
period in which toleration and persecution alternated 
with each other; but, finally, in 1665, the Protestants 
were forced to- flee from the country altogether. 
More than 500,000 left France, scattering all over 
the world as it was known in those days. Most of 
these fugitives were Calvinists and Presbyterians. 

While John Calvin was at the head of affairs in 
Geneva there came from Scotland to that city a 
man who is regarded by Presbyterians as one of 
the great men of the faith. He also- was a John — 
John Knox. Knox was a man of deep learning 
and great ability, who actually had been a member 
of the Roman Catholic priesthood until convinced 
that Roman doctrine and practice were wrong. He 
became an avowed Protestant and did valiant serv- 
ice in the cause until driven out of England by the 
persecutions of the Romanist queen then on the 
throne. 

In 1554 he went to Geneva and there met Calvin, 
becoming deeply impressed with that leader's doc- 
trine. When he returned to Scotland in 1559 he at 
once set about establishing there the sort of Pres- 
byterianism he had found in Switzerland. Trou- 
bles broke out, but Knox and his adherents suc- 
ceeded in founding a church. This was in 1560, 
which year may be regarded as the date of the first 
Presbyterian General Assembly in Scotland. As in 



110 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

France, first one side and then the other was tri- 
umphant. There was a vast amount of persecution 
endured by the new denomination, and civil war 
went on for many years. 

But, despite the warfare, the church grew 
Church's ^^^ Spread. The Scotch, with the stub- 
Growth, born and dogged persistency that is so 

strong a characteristic of the nation, 
would not part with their faith, as given to them 
by Knox. They had trouble with the Scottish mon- 
archs, and, when the kingdoms of Scotland and 
England became one, with the English mon- 
archs as well. If one did not try to foist Ro- 
man doctrine and practice upon them, the other at- 
tempted to bring them under the rule of the Eng- 
lish church, and put bishops over them. This last 
was against the Presbyterian principles just as much 
as was Romanism, and the conflicts that resulted, 
in the church as well as upon the battlefield, were 
bitter indeed. 

Affairs went along in this way until the reign of 
Charles I. When the Puritans under Cromwell rose 
up in arms against Charles they sought the assist- 
ance of the Scotch Presbyterians, with the result 
that a solemn covenant was formed between the 
two parties for a united Protestant faith after the 
dethronement of the king. In order to arrive at a 
basis of doctrine. Parliament called a great meet- 
ing of ministers and a few of the chief laymen. This 
meeting was called the Westminster Assembly, be- 
cause it met in Westminster Abbey, in London. The 
sessions began in 1643 ^^d continued for more than 
five years. The course of events placed the Pres- 
byterians in practical control of the assembly and 
resulted in the formation of what is known as the 
Westminster Confession of Faith, together with 



^ The Presbyterian Church 111 

forms of worship and governfnent and a catechism. 
This confession of faith has continued to be the 
standard of Presbyterian orthodoxy for the Scotch 
Presbyterians, for those in this country, and those 
that have sprung from them from that day tO' this. 

But the union of the English, the Puritans, and 
the Scotch church was not destined tO' endure. Strife 
broke out and then war. Finally Cromwell fell with 
heavy hand upon the Scotch and their faith. A 
period of trouble worse than any before soon set in. 
After the overthrow of the Cromwellian party and 
the restoration of the line of English kings in the 
person of Charles IL, the son of the man Cromwell 
and the Puritans had beheaded, the Scotch Presby- 
terians were bitterly persecuted. The new king, 
who was bound by solemn oath tO' support the 
Scotch, and whose family was Scotch, went back 
on his promises, set bishops over them, and sought 
to make them conform to his church. 

The next king, James, was even worse. He was 
a Roman Catholic, and, as may be supposed, went 
after them with fire and sword. Between these 
troubles the church was pretty nearly wiped out. 
Finally, a new king, William, who was a Dutch 
Presbyterian, came to the throne, and then began 
better days. He set up the faith anew and took 
away the bishops. For a long time things went on 
well. But government interference came again, 
and the church split up into parts. Some of these 
parts afterwards united, and some continued to go 
along as the government dictated. This state of 
things still exists, with the result that there are two 
Presbyterian churches in Scotland. Of the two, the 
one designated as The Free United church, is the 
one nearest to pure Presbyterianism, although 
there are really no differences in doctrine. 



112 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Presbyterianism in the United States 
The Church ^^^^^ ^ ^^"^ pretty much the same com- 
in America, mon sources, even if from different 
lands. It is now divided by some dif- 
ferences of section. Its most influential ministers 
and members are of the opinion that it is passing 
through a sort of transitional state, or period of 
change, from which, they believe, it will emerge 
stronger than ever, with whatever factional differ- 
ences that now prevail completely buried and for- 
gotten. 

Like other denominations, there are a number of 
branches to it that do not use the title 'Tresbyte- 
rian;" but nevertheless they largely follow Presby- 
terian government and doctrine. The original 
Presbyterian church in this country had two great 
offshoots — ^the one known popularly as The Pres- 
byterian church. South, and The Cumberland Pres- 
byterian church. To a complete understanding of 
their history it is necessary to describe the parent 
church and the branches separately. 

The faith secured a foothold in America quite 
early. Calvinists from many different lands crossed 
the Atlantic tO' find in the new world the religious 
freedom that was denied them in the old. Dutch- 
men, Germans, French Huguenots, Scotch Cov- 
enanters, English Presbyterians, sturdy Irish and 
Scotch-Irish, and even the Welsh sought the wild 
shores of Acmerica and settled there. There were 
Presbyterians among the Puritans and the Pilgrims, 
who settled New England; but it is further south 
that we must go to find the real root of the Presby- 
terian tree in this country. Although the faith's 
worship and principles existed in America as early 
as 1620 it was not until at least twenty years later 
that an organized church showed itself. This was 



^ The Presbyterian Church 113 

a congregation of English-speaking Presbyterians 
that started a church in New York in 1643, ^^ith 
the Reverend Francis Doughty as their minister. 

Still, it was not until 1680 that the church got 
its real start. In that year the Presbytery of Lag- 
gan, Ireland, in response to requests, decided to 
send to America the Reverend Francis Kakemie, 
who is regarded as the father of the denomination 
in this cO'Untry. Makemie arrived in the colony of 
Maryland about 1683, and at once set about his 
labors. The first church he built was at Rehoboth, 
in the year after his arrival. The faith soon spread, 
Makemie carrying it through the wilds of Maryland, 
Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New 
York, while others took it southward into the Car- 
olinas and Georgia. By the year 1700 things were 
on a pretty fair foundation. 

The first presbytery was organized in Philadel- 
phia in 1705 or 1706, with six ministers and twenty- 
two congregations; but in 17 16 it was found that 
the growth had been such as to necessitate the or- 
ganization of a synod of four presbyteries. It 
was also found that a standard of orthodoxy must 
be had, and, therefore, in 1729 the organized church 
formally adopted the Westminster Confession as its 
basis. A few years later came division over certain 
questions of education and revivals, but this division 
was not without its good in extending the church 
and its work. One of the blessings of this period 
Vv^as the founding of a college for the training of 
young men for the ministry. In 1758 the factions 
of the time got together and settled their differences. 
During these years the church in the South was 
greatly strengthened. 

By the time the Revolution broke out the church 

had gained much power. There were twelve pres- 
/ 8 



114 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

byteries, 300 churches, 140 ministers, and about 20,- 
000 members. In the war for independence, Pres- 
byterians took a large part, both in the actual fight- 
ing and in the purely political work of separation. 
About one year prior to the signing of the actual 
Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia, July 
4, 1776, the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians at Mecklen- 
berg. North Carolina, formally declared their inde- 
pendence of the mother-country. The Reverend 
John Witherspooii, a great name in the faith, was 
one of the signers of the Philadelphia Declaration. 
During the progress of the war the church suffered 
greatly, but as soon as the fighting was over it 
set about restoring church property and building 
itself up anew. 

The church prospered and soon it be- 
Growth* came advisable to make new govern- 

in America, mental regulations. The one synod, 

that of New York and Philadelphia, 
was divided into four others, each containing four 
presbyteries. At the same time, the Confession of 
Faith was revised so as to embody completely the 
American idea of the separation of church and state. 
Another step in advance was to- provide for a Gen- 
eral Assembly, and this body met for the first time 
in 1789. From this period onward the growth of 
the denomination was rapid. 

A few years -later began the movement which re- 
sulted in the alliance between the Presbyterians and 
the Congregationalists. This was a plan to carry 
on certain important home mission work in the 
newly-opened country west of the Alleghanies, by 
which ministers of either church could serve in the 
other. For a time this union worked to advantage, 
but it was bound to be productive of trouble in the 
end. This trouble came in the years 1837 and 



^ The Presbyterian Church 115 

1838, but by that time the church had gained great 
strength, numbering about 225,000 members. 

As early as 1825 there had been friction over the 
union with the CongregationaHsts, as a result of 
which two parties developed. They called them- 
selves Old School and New School respectively. 
One stood for the old order of things with true 
Presbyterianism of the strictest sort, while the other 
upheld newer doctrines and practices. The latter 
increased in numbers tO' such a dangerous extent 
that, in the General Assembly of 1837, the Old 
School abolished the plan of union with the Con- 
gregationaHsts, and cut off four synods that had 
become saturated with New Schoolism. At once a 
wave of separation swept through the entire church. 
Party lines were closely drawn, even in churches 
and families, the New School having a following 
of about 106,000 and the Old School about 126,- 
000. The New, School forces continued to operate 
with the CongregationaHsts until 1852, when the 
CongregationaHsts themselves severed the union. 

The coming of the Civil War was a source of 
trouble to both wings of the faith, and the disruption 
that manifested itself in other denominations and 
the nation could not fail to have a counterpart in 
the Presbyterian host. After the war, however, the 
two schools got together and reunited upon a com- 
mon basis, after which the work steadily went for- 
ward. 

The faith now approached a most important part 
of its career. For some time there had been discus- 
sion regarding the standard of doctrine, as con- 
tained in the Westminster Confession, and the 
other fundamentals of the denomination. It was 
thought advisable either to modify or explain the 
doctrines of predestination, election, and that re- 



116 The ChurGhmember's Guide ^ 

garding the character of Christ's atonement, and 
to make some other less important changes. 

In 1889 the General Assembly took up this mat- 
ter, but did not succeed in effecting any alteration. 
In 1900 the problem again was attacked and three 
years later a conclusion was reached. A declara- 
tory statement was added to the Westminster Con- 
fession, explaining the view which modem Pres- 
byterianism holds toward the language of it when 
it speaks of predestination, election, the atonement, 
and the condition of all that die in infancy. Two 
new chapters were added — one on the Holy Spirit 
and the other on the love of God, the freedom of 
salvation to all men, and missions. At the same 
time the church holds that the doctrines of Calvin, 
in their purity, are in no way impaired by the 
changes, and that the standards of orthodoxy are 
the same as of old. 

On the completion of these amendments the 
Northern church and The Cumberland Presbyterian 
church entered into negotiations looking toward 
union, the latter believing that, in the revision, one 
of the causes of the original separation had been 
removed. Finally, in the spring of 1906, the plan 
of union was ratified by the Northern church, and 
a majority of the presbyteries of the Cumberland 
church. A wing of the latter, however, refuses to 
be bound by the plan of union, calls itself the 
''loyalist'' section, and declares its purpose to main- 
tain the organization of The Cumberland Presby- 
terian church. 

Let us now examine the history of this 

Cumberland Cumberland wing of the faith, since 

Church. its present relation to the Northern 

church naturally brings it up at this 

point. One of its most interesting features rests 



^ The Presbyterian Church 117 

in the fact that it was, in the first place, the out- 
come of a great Southern revival. 

About the year 1796 there moved from North 
Carolina into Logan county, Kentucky, a Presby- 
terian minister, the Reverend James McGready. 
The region was wild and almost entirely without 
religion, but the settlers were hardy and sturdy 
pioneers of the type that, once converted, make 
splendid members oi God's kingdom. McGready 
had three small churches under his care, and these, 
under his influence, speedily set about spreading the 
gospel. 

Every third Saturday for a year they fasted and 
prayed for God's blessing upon a revival they in- 
tended to hold. They held it, and the result of 
their labors was simply tremendous. Converts were 
so plentiful that the churches could not take care of 
them, and there were not sufficient ministers to 
handle the situation. 

In this extremity certain men were ordained who 
were said to be insufficiently equipped in education 
and doctrine for the work, and, at the same time, 
opposition against the revival developed in the Cum- 
berland presbytery itself. In the dispute were mat- 
ters of doctrine, particularly with relation to eter- 
nal reprobation, the character of Christ's atonement, 
and the salvation o-f those dying in infancy, it ap- 
pearing that the men whose ordination was pro- 
tested declined to subscribe to- the Westminster 
Confession on these subjects. The members of the 
opposition complained to the synod. This body 
went to work on the situation and sought to carry 
out certain disciplinary measures. The other side 
refused to conform, with the result that the synod 
dissolved the presbytery, which failed to get redress 
from higher church authority. Finally the situa- 



118 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

tion became such that the only way out of the diffi- 
culty was for the Cumberland men to organize a 
separate church. 

This was formally done on February 4, 18 10, in 
Dickson county, Tennessee, at the home of the Rev- 
erend Samuel McAdow. With McAdow in the act 
of organization were two other ministers, Finis 
Ewing and Samuel King. Three years later the 
faith had spread to such a degree that three presby- 
teries had been formed and finally a synod, which 
then proceeded to make a statement as to its posi- 
tion with regard to doctrine. This was to the effect 
that it rejected the dogma of eternal reprobation, 
that it believed Christ's atonement was for all man- 
kind, and that persons dying in infancy are saved 
through Christ and the sanctification of the Spirit, 
and that men 'who fail tO' embrace the opportunity 
for salvation are inexcusable. This was adopted 
and a General Assembly of the Cumberland Pres- 
byterian church formed. 

The denomination continued to retain the Pres- 
byterian form of government and rapidly made 
headway. From the small, out-of-the-way region 
in which it originated it spread as far north and 
east as Pennsylvania and as far west as California, 
while the center of its activity was the South. It 
finally reached a total white membership of about 
185,000, according to the report of its General As- 
sembly for the year 1905, while its colored section 
brought its figures up to about 250,000. 

In 1882 it made a complete revision of the West- 
minster Confession, to conform to the doctrine of 
free salvation and complete atonement for which 
the church stood ; but after the revision of the Con- 
fession by the Northern church it looked with 
favor on the reunion plan. As has been said, a 



^ The Presbyterian Church 119 

majority of the presbyteries assented to the plan, al- 
though there continues to be a wing of the church 
which steadfastly refuses to do so. 

The other great offshoot of the main 
Th Chur h body of Presbyterians in the United 
South. States — the Presbyterian church, 

South, as it is popularly called — had 
its origin in the troubles that arose throughout the 
nation in the period when the slavery question was 
being agitated. 

It was made up of members of both the Old and 
New Schools. Separation over the dispute came 
first in the latter school, the Southern states within 
it going out in the year 1857, and organizing their 
own synod. The Old School adherents kept to- 
gether four years longer; but, in the Philadelphia 
General Assembly, in 1861, the crash came by rea- 
son of a series of resolutions offered by Dr. Gardner 
Spring, in which it was sought to put the Assembly 
on record politically as favorable to the Federal 
union. The Southern Presbyterians took strong 
objection, declaring that the General Assembly had 
no right whatever to decide any political question 
for the church, and to make that decision a condi- 
tion of membership. ' 

The Southern delegates returned to their homes 
and within a short time thereafter no less than 
forty-seven presb)d;eries formally withdrew from 
the fold. Their synods ratified this action, and, in 
the following year, delegates met at Augusta, Geor- 
gia, and organized their own independent General 
Assembly. They adopted the Westminster Con- 
fession and the regular church standards, there 
being no differences of doctrine in the causes of 
the separation. 

The state of civil war that continued in the na- 



120 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

tion for the next four years, with the scene of its 
battlefields in the section wherein the new organ- 
ization worked, and the period of distress and pov- 
erty that followed it in the same region, made 
growth both difficult and slow. But, in the mean- 
time, the Southern Presbyterians joined hands with 
the Southern element of the New School, which 
had withdrawn from the Northern church earlier 
and formed its own synod. Later it also took in 
certain Presbyterians in Kentucky and Missouri 
the Northern church had sought to discipline over 
questions of political division, and several other 
independent bodies. 

Several movements looking toward a reunion of 
the church North and the church South have been 
made, and fraternal relations have been restored in 
so far that the two branches work together in many 
respects, but actual reunion has not yet been brought 
to pass. The church South took no part in the 
revision of the Westminster Confession, the formu- 
lation of its new chapters and the making of the 
declaratory statement, its doctrines continuing to 
remain based upon the Confession as originally 
adopted. 

In order to give the statistics of the 
of The Presbyterian faith it is necessary to add 
Church. to the figures certain numbers of what 

are known as the Reformed churches. 
These congregations largely profess Presbyterian 
doctrine and practice, although they dO' not utilize 
the word '^presbyterian'' in describing themselves. 

Figures for the year 1904 show a world mem- 
bership of 5,137,327, of which North America has 
2,280,485, or close upon one-half, and even these 
figures are regarded as somewhat incomplete. The 
Northern church has 239 presbyteries, 7,822 con- 



^ The Presbyterian Church 121 

gregations, 7,705 ministers, and 1,067,477 com- 
municants. It gave for all purposes in 1904 $18,- 
139,965. The church South in the same year had 
82 presbyteries, 3,044 congregations, 1,517 minis- 
ters, and 235,142 communicants. The white Cum- 
berland church had 118 presbyteries, 2,960 church- 
es, 1,616 ministers, and 185,113 white members. 
The colored element of this branch of the faith 
brought its numbers up to about the 250,000 mark. 
The church South raised $2,301,320, and the Cum- 
berland churches $1,034,790. 

All wings of the faith have been devoted 
and workers in missionary fields, both at home 

Schools. and abroad. This work is done through 

various boards and societies, as in the 
other denominations, and the church annually gives 
large sums for the support of the missionaries and 
the extension of their labors. 

Education long has been a feature of Presbyte- 
rian work. The denomination controls a large 
number o-f universities, colleges, seminaries, and 
schools in dififerent parts of the country. Some of 
the largest and best of these are in the South. 
There are large publishing houses in connection 
with the faith, particularly at Philadelphia, Nash- 
ville, and Richmond. 

The theolo'Sfical base of The Presby- 
What The 
Presbyterians ^^^^^^ ^^urch to'-day is to all intents 

Believe. and pnrposcs the same system that 

John Calvin laid down more than 
three centuries ago. Some of the things that Cal- 
vin advocated have been put aside because they 
were made only to meet certain conditions that 
long since have passed away; but in its essential 
features Calvinism is the same as it was in the 
beginning. 



122 The CKurchmember^s Guide ^ 

The Westminster Confession, which followed the 
principles of dogma elaborated by Calvin himself, 
always has been regarded by strict Presbyterians as 
the true standard of their faith, and the conserva- 
tives of the church never have wiped out any of its 
articles. Even the recent work of revision did not 
result in the cutting out of any of the chapters, but 
took the form of an explanation oi the points under 
scrutiny. 

The controlling idea of the Presbyterian faith is 
that of the absolute sovereignty of God over all 
things in the universe, past, present, and future, for 
wise, just, holy, and loving ends. This sovereignty 
is expressed in a number of principles, the more 
important of which follow : ( i ) The sovereignty of 
the Word of God over creed and life: Neither hu- 
man reason nor the Church, Presbyterians hold, 
should dictate to men either how they are to act 
or what they are to believe, since this function be- 
longs entirely to God, whose will in such matters 
is contained in the Scriptures alone. (2) The sov- 
ereignty of God in salvation: Salvation, they de- 
clare, is not by works but by grace and through 
faith. (3) The sovereignty under God of the in- 
dividual conscience in matters of religion : The faith 
hold that God alone is Lord of the conscience and 
that He has left it free for men to use as they will. 

Built upon this is an elaborate system of theology 
and doctrine. The Westminster Confession de- 
clares that, by the decree of God, for the manifesta- 
tion of His glory, some angels and some men were 
predestinated to everlasting life and others fore- 
ordained to everlasting death, and that the number 
of these elect and reprobated cannot be increased 
nor diminished, and that Christ's atonement was 
for the elect alone. This is called the doctrine of 



^ The Presbyterian Church 123 

predestination, foreordination, and election. The 
limited atonement feature of it has been adopted, 
to a greater or less degree, by other faiths than 
those professing Presbyterianism. 

With regard to justification, the Presbyterian doc- 
trine holds that those whom God has effectually 
called He justifies, not through their works but by 
Christ alone and for His sake; that God continues 
to forgive their sins and that they never can fall 
from justification, although they can be under God's 
displeasure until they repent and seek His pardon. 

This faith, as outlined above, was for long years 
preached in absolute purity. Presbyterians state 
that it was greatly misunderstood by the mass of 
the people of other denominations, as well as many 
of those within the church itself. The business of 
those who were given the task of revision was to 
make it plain just what the framers of the Con- 
fession meant, and just exactly what was Calvin's 
own idea. They proceeded to do this by adding 
an explanatory statement and two new chapters to 
the Confession. 

The statement says that, with reference to those 
who are saved in Christ, or ''the elect," ''the doc- 
trine of God's eternal decree is held in harmony 
with the doctrine of His love to all mankind. His 
gift of His Son to be the propitiation for the sins 
of the whole world, and His readiness to bestow His 
saving grace on all who seek it. That concerning 
those who perish the doctrine of God's eternal de- 
cree is held in harmony with the doctrine that God 
desires not the death of a sinner, but has provided 
in Christ a salvation sufficient for all, adapted to 
all, and freely offered in the Gospel for all, . . . 
and that no man is condemned except on the ground 
of his sin." It also says that the Confession is not 



124 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

tO' be regarded as teaching that any who die in 

infancy are lost, and that the faith beHeves that 

all who thus die are included in the election of 

grace. 

Presbyterian church government is 
Presbyterian u i xu • • x ^ r 

Church based upon the ministry to a far 

Government, greater extent than it is in any other 
of the Protestant denominations. Be- 
fore going into it, therefore, it is necessary to de- 
scribe the views held by the faith in regard to the 
orders of the ministry, and the relation in which 
elders and deacons stand to the body of the church. 

Presbyterianism recognizes only one ecclesiastical 
order, which is regarded as variously combining 
the function of the bishop, the pastor, and the min- 
ister, in that the first function is to watch over the 
flock, the second to feed it, and the third to serve 
Christ in it. Elders and deacons are simply devoted 
and consecrated laymen, chosen by the people and set 
apart by a ceremony for their office. The elder is the 
higher of these two ranks. Elders and deacons 
once made are perpetually elders and deacons. The 
pastor or minister is also an elder, but a teaching 
elder, not a ruling one, as are the chosen laymen. 

Ruling elders are chosen for the purpose of exer- 
cising government and discipline in conjunction with 
the pastor. The deacons look after the poor and 
handle the temporal affairs of the church; in other 
words, they are the church's almsgivers and busi- 
ness men. These three classes of pastors, elders, 
and deacons form the church official board. 

But, primarily, this board derives its existence 
from the congregation itself. The body of the com- 
municants has the right to meet in congregational 
assembly and dictate its desires to the church offi- 
cials, and matters of grave moment are often passed 



^ The Presbyterian Church 125 

by the board to the congregation for decision, the 
theory of the situation being that the congregation 
is the original source of governmental power; the 
boards and united boards being managerial in func- 
tion, and really servants of the people. 

The actual work of management, then, is done 
by a series of bodies rising from that of the individ- 
ual church up to the assembly of the entire faith. 
The first of these bodies appears in the single church 
unit and is called the '^church session." It con- 
sists of the pastor or pastors O'f the church and the 
ruling elders, and the pastor is the presiding officer. 
Its duties are to maintain the spiritual government 
of the congregation and to watch over its welfare. 
It is empow^ered to discipline members after trial 
and conviction b}^ suspension or exclusion from the 
sacraments, and to appoint delegates to the higher 
church bodies. It also has various other arbitrary 
functions defined in the church law,, but is required 
to report its acts to the next higher body, the pres- 
bytery. 

The presbytery, which is supposed to meet twice a 
year, consists of all the ministers within a certain 
district and one ruling elder from each congrega- 
tion. It has power to receive and issue all appeals, 
complaints, and references that may come tO' it from 
the session for hearing or transmission to higher 
bodies, to examine and license candidates for the 
ministry, and to ordain, install, judge, and remove 
ministers; to settle questions of doctrine and disci- 
pline; to redress evils in the various churches repre- 
sented, and in general to watch over the spiritual 
welfare of the district. 

The next higher body is the synod. This is com- 
posed O'f the ministers and ruling elders of at least 
three presbyteries or of duly fixed and elected del- 



126 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

egates from the same. It meets once a year. It 
receives and issues to the next body, the General 
Assembly, all matters sent up from the presbyteries, 
decides finally all questions that do not affect the 
doctrines and constitution of the church, makes or 
alters presbyteries, watches over their work and ac- 
tions, oversees the spiritual doings of presbyteries 
and sessions, and finally recommends to the Gen- 
eral Assembly such measures as may seem to be of 
advantage to the whole church. 

The General Assembly is the highest body of the 
church and is composed of an equal number of min- 
isters and elders from each presbytery, chosen on a 
basis of one minister and one elder for every twen- 
ty-four ministers or a majority fraction thereof. 
The General Assembly is obliged to meet once each 
year, the place of the next year's meeting being 
decided before the adjournment of each Assembly. 
It has power to decide finally all controversies re- 
specting doctrine and discipline, to take disciplinary 
action against any synod, presbytery, or church; to 
change or make synods; to superintend the whole 
church in every way, and to act as a general law- 
making body. But before any legislation or action 
that originates in the General Assembly becomes a 
law it must be transmitted to the synods and the 
presbyteries for their approval, on the basis of a 
majority ruling. 

New members are received into the 
of New Presbyterian church simply and demo- 
Members, cratically. Almost all pastors, after ad- 
dressing the persons assembled in church 
or at a meeting, or after preaching the Word, issue 
an invitation to those wishing to pro'fess Christ. 
Those who do so-, in public or in private, are required 
to appear before the church session, and satisfy it 



^ The Presbyterian Church 127 

of their conversion and faith, as well as to show 
their knowledge of the denomination's doctrine or 
to receive instruction in it. The session, having 
satisfied itself of the fitness of the candidates, duly 
elects them to the body of the church, one or other 
of the elders saying to the pastor: "Brother Mod- 
erator, I move that these candidates [naming them, 
or, if there be only one, saying, 'this candidate'] 
be admitted to^ this church after baptism, if not al- 
ready baptized." Another elder seconds the mo- 
tion, and it is then put to vote by the pastor. There- 
after, such of the candidates as have not been bap- 
tized shall present themselves, at such a time as the 
official board may designate, for the administration 
of the ordinance, 

Presbyterians baptize chiefly by sprink- 
^^ ling or its freer method, pouring, hold- 

Baptism, ing that this form of administration is the 

one carrying the greatest weight of evi- 
dence. But, at the same time, the faith will bap^ 
tize by immersion, if the candidate expresses the 
desire so to receive baptism. The rite usually is 
performed after sermon at one or other of the Sun- 
day services. An ordained minister must officiate, 
as the church does not recognize baptism by a lay- 
man, or even by a licentiate, or person licensed to 
preach. The church has no fixed form obligatory 
upon any pastor for the administration O'f the ordi- 
nance, leaving him to^ speak of its purposes, and 
to point out the church standards in his own lan- 
guage as he may see fit, so long as he does so. 

Nevertheless, an excellent liturgy, or service, ^has 
been prepared by a committee of pastors and elders, 
with the approval of the General Assembly, to serve 
just such a purpose. It is contained in ''The Book 
of Common Worship," issued by the Presbyterian 



128 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

Board of Publication, Philadelphia. For the pur- 
pose of presenting the different forms to the readers 
and users of this manual they are quoted in their 
proper places. Use of them, however, is by no 
means obligatory. They are offered by the com- 
pilers of 'The Book of Common Prayer'' only for 
their beauty, reverence, and orderliness, and for 
satisfying the tendency the compilers felt to be 
growing up in the church for an enrichment of the 
services. The church South also issues, through 
its Richmond publishing house, a somewhat similar, 
but not so complete, book of forms. 

The usual form for the administration of the 
ordinance, where no set form of service is used, is 
as follows : The candidate appearing before the min- 
ister, who should have the font or basin ready with 
pure water, the minister should say some word of 
explanation of the ordinance of Baptism, and ask 
the candidate if he professes and believes in Christ. 
Then he should ask a blessing upon the ordinance, 
after which he should perform the rite, saying: 
^*John [or Mary, or whatever the name may be], 
I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." During these words 
he should sprinkle or pour the water upon the candi- 
date's face and forehead, concluding the ceremony 
with prayer. 

The following is the service as contained in 'The 
Book of Common Worship" : 

The Candidates appearing before the Minister, he shall say, 

Hear the Words of the Institution of this holy 
Sacrament, as delivered by our Lord and Saviour 
to His disciples, before His ascension to the right 
hand of God : 

''All power is given unto Me in heaven and 



^ The Presbyterian Church 129 

in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you : and lo, I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world." 

Hence St. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, called 
upon the people, saying, ''Repent, and be baptized, 
every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto 
you, and to your children, and to all that are 
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call." 

Doubt ye not, therefore, but earnestly believe, 
that He will number among His people these 
present Persons, truly repenting and coming unto 
Him by faith, and that this Baptism with water 
in His Name shall be unto them the sign and seal 
of the washing away of their sins, their engraft- 
ing into Christ, their regeneration by His Holy 
Spirit, and tKeir engagement to be the Lord's. 

The Minister shall then say to the Persons to he baptised, 
and each one shall answer, as follows : 

Dearly beloved, who are come hither desiring 
to be baptized, you are now faithfully, for your 
part, in the presence of God and this congrega- 
tion, to promise and answer to- the following 
Questions. 

Question, Do you receive and profess the 
Christian faith, and in this faith do 
you desire to be baptized ? 
Answer. I do. 

Question. Do you confess your sins, and turn 
from them with godly sorrow, and 
put all your trust in the mercy of 
9 



130 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

God, which is in Christ Jesus; and 
do you promise in His strength to 
lead a sober, righteous, and godly 
Hfe? 
Answer. I do. 

The Question here following is to be omitted at this point 
in case this Order of Baptism is used in connection 
with that for the Confirmation of Baptismal Vows. 

Qtiestion, Now desiring to be received to the 
Lord's Supper, do you promise to 
make diligent use of the means of 
grace, submitting yourself to the 
lawful authority and guidance of 
the Church, and continuing in the 
peace and fellowship of the people 
of God? 

Answer, I do. 

Then the Minister shall say. 
Let us pray. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, that it may please 
Thee to receive, and to sanctify with Thy Spirit, 
these Persons now to be baptized according to 
Thy Word; that they may obtain the fulness of 
Thy grace, and ever remain in the number of Thy 
faithful children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then, all present reverently standing, the Person to he 
baptized will-kneel down, and the Minister, pronouncing 
his name, shall pour or sprinkle water upon his fore- 
head, saying, 

N,, I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen, 

Then the Minister shall say, 

We receive this Person into the congregation 
of Christ's flock; in the confidence that he shall 



The Presbyterian Church 131 

never be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ 
crucified, and to continue Christ's faithful soldier 
and servant untO' his hfe's end. 

Here, if Persons who have been baptized in infancy are to 
he received to the Lord's Supper, they may he called to 
come forward; and the Minister, omitting the remain- 
der of this Order, may proceed with the Order for the 
Coniiruiation of Baptismal Vows, the newly baptized per- 
sons still standing in their places before him. 

Then the Minister {laying his hand, if such be his discre- 
tion, upon the head of every one in order kneeling be- 

' fore him) shall say, 

Defend, O Lord, this Thy Child with Thy 
heavenly grace; that he may continue Thine for- 
ever ; and daily increase in Thy Holy Spirit more 
and more, until he come unto Thy everlasting 
kingdom. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we give 
Thee hearty thanks and praise that Thou hast 
not withheld Thy loving kindness from these Thy 
servants, but hast given them shelter within the 
covenant of Thy peace, and makest them to sit 
down at Thy Table. We entreat Thee of Thy 
great mercy to perfect in them the good work 
Tho'U hast begun; that they, being defended by 
Thy fatherly hand, and strengthened with power 
through Thy Spirit in the inward man, may be 
enabled to keep this covenant without spot, un- 
rebukable, until the day of the appearing of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen, 

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from 
falling, and to present you faultless before the 
presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to the 
only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, 
dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen, 
The Presbyterian church sees no reason why in- 



132 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

fants should not be baptized, and, in common with 
the other churches that take the same view, en- 
courage the practice. The basis for it is the same 
passage of Scripture that commends itself tO' kin- 
dred faiths : ''Suffer httle children, and forbid them 
not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom 
of heaven." 

Parents are taught to bring their children to the 
church and have them baptized as early as they 
choose, and the form of administering the ordinance 
is very much the same as for those of riper years. 
The minister, in his opening remarks, calls atten- 
tion to the fact that Christ blessed children and de- 
clared them part of the kingdom of heaven. He 
then exhorts the parents of the child to instruct it, 
as it grows in years, in the Word, and in the prin- 
ciples of religion and the church standards, after 
which he performs the rite, with the same words as 
in the administration of the ordinance to adults, 
first inquiring the child's name from its parents or 
sponsors. 

The form for the baptism of infants, according to 
''The Book of Common Worship," is as follows : 

After previous notice is given to the Minister, the Child 
to be baptised is to be presented to him by one or both 
the parents, whom the Minister shall address in this 
wise: 

Dearly beloved. Almighty God, who has called 
us into His Church, has promised to be our God, 
and also the God and Father of our children; 
which covenant He renews in this Sacrament of 
Baptism, given to us and to our children, as a 
sign and seal of the washing away of our sins 
and our ingrafting into Christ. St. Paul assures 
us that the children of the faithful are to be num- 
bered among the holy people of God. Our Sav- 



^ The Presbyterian Church 133 

iour also, in the Gospel, calls the children unto 
Him, and blesses them, saying: Suffer the little 
children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: 
for of such is the Kingdom of God. 

Forasmuch as you desire and claim these bless- 
ings for your Child, yo-u will now engage, on 
your part, to perform those things which God re- 
quires of you, that the good will and pleasure of 
your Heavenly Father may not be hidden from 
your Child. 

Here the Minister shall address the following Questions 
to the Parents; and the Parents, each of them, shall 
make answer: 

Question. Do you accept, for yourself and for 
your Child, the covenant of God, 
and therein consecrate your Child to 
Him? 
Answer. I do. 

Question. Do you promise to instruct your 
Child in the principles of our holy 
religion, as contained in the Scrip- 
tures, to pray with him and for him, 
and to bring him up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord? 
Answer. I do. 

Then the Minister shall say, 
Grant, O Lord, to these Thy servants grace to 
perform the things which they have promised be- 
fore Thee: 

And sanctify with Thy S^int this Child now 
to be baptized according to Thy Word; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then, all present reverently standing, the Minister shall 
say to the Parents, 

What is the name of this Child? 
Then the Minister {taking the Child in his arms, or leav- 



134 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

ing it in the arms of the Parents), pronouncing the 
name of the Child, shall pour or sprinkle water upon it, 
saying, 

N., I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, 

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Then the Minister shall say, 

' Let us pray. 

Most holy and merciful Father, we give Thee 
hearty thanks that Thou hast numbered us 
amongst Thy people, and dost also call our children 
unto' Thee, marking them with this Sacrament, as 
a singular token and badge of Thy love. Where- 
fore, we beseech thee to confirm Thy favor more 
and more toward us, and to take into Thy tuition 
and defense this Child, whom we ofifer and pre- 
sent unto Thee with common supplications. Grant 
that he may know Thee his merciful Father, 
through Thy Holy Spirit working in his heart, 
and that he may not be ashamed to confess flie 
faith of Christ crucified; but may continue His 
faithful soldier and servant, and so prevail against 
evil that in the end he may obtain the victory, 
and be exalted into the liberty of Thy kingdom; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then the Minister and People may say together the Lord's 
Prayer, if the same is not said in the Service imme- 
diately preceding or following. 

The Lord's Prayer. 

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be 
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be 
done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, 
As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not 
into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For 
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
glory, for ever. Amen. 



^ The Presbyterian Church 135 

Then the Minister shall say, 
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
love O'f God, and the communion O'f the Holy 
Ghost, be with you all. Amen, 

When the child has arrived at years of discretion, 
and come to an understanding of religious things. 
The Presbyterian church admits it to full member- 
ship through a confirming rite. The pastor and the 
elders examine the child and decide whether it is of 
the proper understanding, and, if so, it is permitted 
to partake of communion. This brings us to a dis- 
cussion of the ordinance of The Lord's Supper as 
administered in The Presbyterian church. 

The faith res^ards the communion as a 
The 
Lord's threefold office : as a communion of breth- 

Supper. ren, as a memorial oi the death of Him 
who instituted it, and, chiefly, as receiv- 
ing and partaking by faith of His body and blood, 
with all their benefits, to their spiritual nourishment 
and growth in grace. This feeding is wholly sym- 
bolic, as in the other Protestant denominations 
which entertain somewhat similar views. 

The Lord's Supper is administered on Sunday 
mornings after the regular services, and may be 
celebrated as often as the pastors and the elders see 
fit. Some churches celebrate once a month, and 
others once a quarter, or three months. The table 
is open to all believers, their coming being regarded 
as their profession of faith. The table is spread 
upon the chancel or platform, or in the space be- 
tween it and the first row of seats. 

The minister always officiates, and is assisted by 
the elders, who distribute the elements to the con- 
gregation. They should know in advance which 
parts of the congregation they are to serve, in order 
to avoid confusion, and for the more reverent and 



136 The Churchmember s Guide ^ 

seemly conduct of the rite. The church's regula- 
tions do not lay down an absolute form, but the 
proper denominational authority, as in the cases 
of the other rites and forms, offers suggestions. 
Usually the following is the method pursued : 

The congregation remains seated in the pews and 
the table is kept covered until the arrival o-f the hour 
for the observance. The use of one, few, or many 
trays and cups is regulated by the means or pref- 
erence of the congregation. The time having ar- 
rived, the elders who are to aid go to the table and 
the pastor asks a blessing upon the bread and gives 
thanks for the wine, and breaks the former. In 
some churches it is the method for the minister and 
the elders to partake before serving the congrega- 
tion; in others the reverse is the case. This must 
largely be a question of individual church custom. 

Before handing the elements to the elders the pas- 
tor tells, in simple words, of the institution of the 
rite by Jesus. Then he gives them the plates, re- 
peating Christ's w^ords to His disciples. Thereupon 
they serve the congregation, each in his proper sec- 
tion, handing the tray to the communicant nearest 
the aisle in the first pew. After taking bread the 
communicant passes the plate to the next,, who- pass- 
es it to the next. Reaching the end of the pew 
the communicant there passes it tO' the person imme- 
diately behind, and it goes back from hand to hand 
to the elder, who gives it to the communicant in the 
next pew behind, and so on until all are served. 
The same method is pursued with the wine, and, 
after all are served, the minister makes a prayer of 
thanks or says The Lord's Prayer in unison with 
the congregation, a hymn is sung, and the congre- 
gation dismissed with the benediction. 

For the ordinance "The Book of Common Wor- 



"h The Presbyterian Church 137 

ship" gives the following form, which like the others 

in the work is not obligatory upon the part of any 

church : 

When the time is come for administration, the Minister 
shall say, 

Dearly belo'ved, as we draw near to the Lord's 
Supper to celebrate the Holy Communion of the 
Body and Blood of Christ, we are gratefully to 
remember that our Lord instituted this Sacra- 
ment to be observed in His Church unto the end 
of the world: for the perpetual remembrance of 
the sacrifice of Himself in His death, the sealing 
all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spir- 
itual nourishment and growth in Him, their fur- 
ther engagement in and to all duties which they 
owe untO' Him; and to be a bond and pledge of 
their union with Him and with each other as 
members of His mystical body. 

Let us consider earnestly our great need of 
having our comfort and strength so renewed in 
this our earthly pilgrimage and warfare.; and es- 
pecially how necessary it is that we come unto 
the Lord's Table with knowledge, faith, repent- 
ance, love, and with hearts hungering and thirst- 
ing after Christ. Not unto those who live will- 
ingly in transgression and offenses, holding fel- 
lowship with hatred, malice, or impurity; nor 
unto those who cherish pride and self-righteous- 
ness in their hearts, trusting secretly in their own 
works and merits, are these benefits of Christ 
offered. But all that are truly sorry for their 
sins and would be delivered from the burden of 
them, all that humbly put their trust in Christ, 
and desire His grace that they may lead a holy 
life, are invited and encouraged in His Name 
to come to this Sacrament. Let us therefore so 



138 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

come that we may find refreshing and rest unto 
our souls. 

Then let the people stand up and sing 

A Hymn. 

// it he more convenient in any church, this Hymn may he 
omitted. 

The Tahle, on which the elements are placed, heing de- 
cently covered, the bread in convenient dishes, and the 
wine in cups, and the Communicants orderly and grave- 
ly sitting around the Table {or in their seats before it) 
in the presence of the Minister, he shall say, 

Beloved in the Lord, attend to the Words of 
the Institution of the Holy Supper o-f our Lord 
Jesus Christ, as they are delivered by the Apostle 
Paul: ''I have received of the Lord that which 
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus 
the same night in which He was betrayed took 
bread; and when He had given thanks, he brake 
it, and said. Take, eat : this is My body, which is 
broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. 
After the same manner also He took the cup, 
when He had supped, saying. This cup is the 
New Testament in My blood : this do ye, as oft 
as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as 
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye 
do show the Lord's death till He come." 

And now, in His Name, I take these elements 

{Here the Minister may lay his hand upon the plate and 
the cup) 

to be set apart by prayer and thanksgiving to 
the holy use for which He has appointed them. 

Then the Minister shall say. 
Let us pray. 

// so desired, these Prayers and Thanksgivings may he 
offered in the form following; the People reverently 
bowing down: 

O God, who by the blood of Thy dear Son hast 



I The Presbyterian Church 139 

consecrated for us a new and a living way into 
the holiest of all ; Cleanse our minds, we beseech 
Thee, by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that, 
drawing near unto Thee with a pure heart and 
undefiled conscience, we may receive these Thy 
gifts without sin, and worthily magnify Thy holy 
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then the People, still bowing down, shall make these re- 
sponses: 

Minister. The Lord be with you. 

People, And with thy spirit. 

Minister, Lift up your hearts. 

People, We lift them up unto the Lord, 

Minister. Let us give thanks untoi the Lord 

our God. 
People. It is meet and right so to do. 

Then the Minister, proceeding, shall say. 

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, 
that we should at all times and in all places, give 
thanks unto Thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Al- 
mighty and Eternal God, for all Thy bounties 
known and unknown; but chiefly are we bound 
to praise Thee that Tho'U hast ransomed us from 
eternal death, and given us the joyful hope of 
everlasting life through Jesus Christ Thy Son, 
whom Thou didst send into the world tO' suffer 
death upon the cross for our redemption. Thee, 
God the Father Everlasting : Thee, Only Begotten 
Son : Thee, Holy Spirit, the Comforter : Holy, 
Blessed and Glorious Trinity: we confess and 
praise with heart and mouth; saying, with angels 
and archangels, and all the company of Heaven, 

Here let the People, still bowing down, join aloud, sing- 
ing or saying, 

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts ; Heav- 



140 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

en and earth are full of the majesty of Thy 
glory. Ho'Sanna in the highest. Blessed is He 
that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna 
in the highest. 

Then the Minister shall proceed, saying, 

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, whose once off ering up of Himself, by Him- 
self, upon the cross, once for all, we commem- 
orate before Thee; We beseech Thee to accept 
this O'ur spiritual oblation of all possible praise 
for the same. And here we offer and present, O 
Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a 
reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice, acceptable 
unto Thee through Jesus Christ Thy Son : 

And we most humbly beseech Thee, Father of 
O'f all mercies and God of all comfort, to vouch- 
safe Thy gracious presence, and the effectual 
working of Tliy Spirit in us, and so to sanctify 
these elements both of Bread and Wine, and to 
bless Thine own Ordinance; that we may receive 
by faith Christ crucified for us, and so feed upon 
Him, that he may be one with us and we with 
Him; that He may live in us, and we in Him 
who hath loved us, and given Himself for us : 

Even Jesus Christ our Lord; to' whom, with 
Thee and the Holy Ghost, be praise and power, 
might, majesty, and dominion, both now and 
evermore. Amen. 

The Bread and Wine being thus set apart by Prayer and 
Thanksgiving, the Minister is to take the Bread, and 
break it, in view of the People, saying, 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the same night in 
which He was betrayed, having taken Bread, and 
blessed and broken it, gave it to His disciples; 
as I, ministering in His Name, give this Bread 



< The Presbyterian Church 141 

unto you; saying, Take, eat: this is My Body, 
which is broken for you; this do in remembrance 
of Me. 

Then the Minister, who is also himself to communicate, is 

to give the Bread to the Elders to be distributed. 
After having given the Bread, he shall take the Cup and say. 

After the same manner our Saviour also took 
the Cup; and having given thanks, as hath been 
done in His Name, He gave it tO' His disciples, 
saying. This Cup is the New Testament in My 
Blood, which is shed for many for the remission 
of sins : drink ye all of it. 

Then the Minister, who is also to partake of the Cup, 
shall give it to the Elders to be administered. 
After all have communicated, the Minister shall say. 

Let us pray. 

Almighty and ever-living God, we most heart- 
ily thank Thee for Thy rich, mercy and invaluable 
goodness, vouchsafed to us in this sacred Com- 
munion, wherein we have assurance that we are 
very members of the mystical body of Thy Son, 
and heirs through hope of Thine everlasting 
kingdom. And, as we have been made partakers 
of Christ, SO' enable us to hold fast that which 
we have received, that noi man may take our 
crown. Help us, we beseech Thee, to bear about 
with us continually the dying of the Lord Jesus, 
that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest 
in our mortal body; and grant that we may 
remain alway in the holy fellowship of all faith- 
ful people, with whom in the unity of the Spirit, 
we now make our intercessions unto Thee: 

O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine in- 
heritance: feed them also, and lift them up for- 
ever. Remember, O Lord, Thy congregation, 
which Thou hast purchased of old ; pour out Thy 



142 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Spirit as floods upon the dry ground, and refresh 
Thy waiting heritage. Let Thy priests be clothed 
with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for 
joy. Show Thy mercy also unto them that are 
afar ofif, and gather all the lost sheep into Thy 
fold; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen, 

Most merciful God, w^e bless Thy holy Name 
for all Thy servants who have kept the faith, 
and, having accomplished their warfare, are at 
rest with Thee. We pray Thee to enable us so 
to follow their good example, that we with them 
may finally be partakers of Thy heavenly king- 
dom, and, at the glorious appearing of our Sav- 
iour Jesus Christ, may behold Him with unveiled 
face, being changed into His likeness; when He 
shall present us, with all His Church, faultless be- 
fore the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. 
Hear us, O heavenly Father, for His sake: to 
whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be glory 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

Then the People shall rise and sing 

A Hymn. 

Then, the People reverently h owing down, the Minister 
shall pronounce 

The Benediction. 

Now the God of peace, that brought again 
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shep- 
herd of the sheep, through the blood of the ever- 
lasting covenant, make you perfect in every good 
work to do His will, working in you that which 
is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.; 
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

After the Benediction it is fitting that the Communicants 
remain in silent prayer, beseeching God that none may 
leave His Table without a blessing. 



^ The Presbyterian Church 143 

Discipline in The Presbyterian church 
Presbyterian • i i 111 

Forms of ^^ based Upon organic church law, 

Discipline. from which, when matters reach a 

point where it is to be administered, 
may not be departed from, either by the session, 
presbytery, synod, or assembly. Nothing can be 
the object of process, however, that cannot be 
proved contrary to the Scriptures, or to. the regula- 
tions, practices, and doctrines of the church. 

In matters involving minor breaches of conduct 
or discipline it is the custom of most churches to 
admonish the offender privately in a brotherly or 
fatherly sort of way. This is done either by one 
of the elders or by the pastor, and is usually ef- 
fective. And, on the same principle, disputes be- 
tween members are not permitted to reach a church 
tribunal until efforts have been made to settle the 
differences amicably, by conference between the par- 
ties. 

Persons may make charges against other per- 
sons, and church bodies themselves may institute 
proceedings, in which case the prosecutor is the 
whole church. Otherwise some one must be found 
to sustain the charges and act as prosecutor. The 
church sessions try members, but only the presby- 
teries sit in judgment upon ministers. All charges 
must be made in writing. The accused must be 
notified of the charges and given a copy of them. 
He or she may be represented by counsel and both 
sides have the right to- call witnesses and to- ex- 
amine and cross-examine them ; but no person other 
than a minister or elder of the faith may be per- 
mitted to act as counsel. A verdict is reached by 
a majority vote. Punishment in the shape of re- 
buke, admonition, suspension, or exclusion may be 
meted out. 



144 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

In the case of ministers or elders the trial is be- 
fore the presbytery or a commission named by it. 
It follows practically the same course O'f procedure 
as the trial of a member. In both instances, appeal 
may be taken to higher tribunals, even as far as the 
General Assembly. 



PART II. 



THE RIGHT WAY TO DO CHURCH WORK 

lO 



Let all things be done decently and in order, 

— I Corinthians xiv. 40. 



HOW TO CONDUCT MEETINGS 

Many occasions arise in the course 
„ ^ of church work for something definite 

Information, in the way of a guide for the proper 

conduct of certain meetings in which 
the congregation takes the chief part, or, at least, 
such a part as to require special training or special 
knowledge. Many persons have not had the chance 
to observe how they should take the part expected 
O'f them by seeing others do it, while still others 
follow rules of their own and often cause consid- 
erable confusion, because their methods are not like 
those of the persons who' are working w4th them. 
Still others desire to know the methods that are in 
use in large and active churches, so- that they may 
pattern after the ways that have proved good and 
successful. 

The object of this section of The Church mem- 
ber's Guide is tO' aid all three of these classes. The 
writer has endeavored to find the best and most ap- 
proved methods, and tO' this end has consulted a 
large number of authorities on the subjects treated. 
Pretty nearly every pastor or church worker em- 
ploys individual methods different from those of 
some other pastor and church worker ; and, in many 
instances, there are disagreements on points that 
are really of great importance. It has been the aim 
to smooth away these rough places and to provide 
forms that are acceptable to almost all who read 
them, and to give methods that are practical. 

(H7) 



148 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

With reference to the helpful hints and sugges- 
tions that are contained in the different parts of the 
section, it has been the aim to offer such advice as 
will bring out the best work of everybody. The 
duty of the Christian and member of church is to 
be at work constantly. He or she cannot afford to 
remain idle. There is always something to be done. 
The pastor does not feel that he should be con- 
stantly reminding his people of their duty; for he 
cannot help but feel that, under such circumstances, 
his congregation would begin to think that he 
wanted them to do all oi the work. 

But there are a thousand and one ways in which 
the churchmember can and should help the pastor. 
The work for the Master is its own reward. After 
the good churchmember has done some labor in the 
vineyard he or she will feel the joy O'f doing it, and 
will want to do more. Study of the following pages 
will show how this work can best be done, par- 
ticularly when the churchmember is called upon by 
the pastor to help in the doing of it. 

^ ^ ^ 



HOW TO HOLD PRAYER MEET- 
INGS 

The importance of the prayer meeting 
^ , in the church, noi matter what its de- 

Purpose, nomination, cannot be overestimated. 

Not only is it the place where the 
Christian gets help and strength for the daily battle 
against evil, but it is the place where he gives 
strength to others; where he goes to school to learn 
how to be a better follower of Christ'; where he 
studies the Word, and gets and gives practical, 
everyday applications O'f it; where there is informal 
praise and song; where he can join in the prayers 
that tell of his fellow-churchmember's hopes, aspi- 
rations, needs, and desires, asking God tO' give grace, 
or strength, or aid. And more than all these, it is 
the place where he goes to help in the conversion 
of relative, friend, or stranger; where he sees the 
power Oif the Holy Spirit made manifest in the 
heart oi some person who has just been touched 
by it. 

It is a great institution, this prayer meeting, and 
all Christians, of all denominations, should foster it 
and make it one of the features of their church life. 
Good and big prayer meetings make good and big 
churches, and good and big churches make good 
and big Christians. Churches that make their 
prayer meetings live, interesting, consecrated, and 
earnest soon find all the life and work of the con- 
gregation full of power, the membership of the 
church developed and increased, many sinners con- 

(H9) 



150 The Churchmember's Guide 4* 

verted, the fellowship of the church stronger and 
more fraternal, and the mission spirit of the people 
on a better basis. Invariably, a church and its spir- 
itual condition can be judged by the kind of prayer 
meetings it holds. Coldness, dullness, and lifeless- 
ness in the one are sure signs O'f the same conditions 
in the other. 

At the very bottom of the prayer meet- 
Foundation ^^S idea is the fact that the gathering 
Methods. is the chief one at which the general 

membership of the church can get to- 
gether on a common basis, and show what they are 
doing as followers oi Christ, and tO' pray earnestly 
that they may do more. It never was intended as 
a place where the pastor or the leader should ex- 
pound church doctrine at great length or preach 
a sermon. That is the work intended for the Lord's 
Day, and the prayer meeting never should be used 
for it. 

The prayer meeting is the place where the ordi- 
nary member of the church should do the talking 
and the praying, and where the trials and duties of 
the Christian's life, from the churchmember's point 
of view, should be discussed ; where they should get 
mutual stimulus, and, by their thoughts, words, and 
example, lead sinners tO' Christ. In so far as pos- 
sible, the minister should sink his identity as pas- 
tor and shepherd, and be just a plain follower of 
the Master, like the humblest member of his flock. 
Everybody should be welcome to join in the meet- 
ing, and be taught that it is their duty so to join. 
The social spirit should not be neglected, either; 
for here, if anywhere, everybody should know each 
other. The singing should be more truly congre- 
gational than at the regular service, and the work 
of soul-saving more personal in its character. 



^ How to Hold Prayer Meetings 151 

• Conducting prayer meetings is a serious task; but 
it brings out all the earnestness, spirituality, con- 
secration, and tact that a minister or his flock pos- 
sesses. It is almost impossible to write down a set 
of hard and fast rules, however good, for the mak- 
ing of a ''rousing'' meeting; but a number of help- 
ful hints and suggestions readily can be given. The 
exercise of thought, patience, and that excellent 
quality known as ''good gumption," will do the rest 
without much difficulty. 

The prayer meeting is a prayer meeting 
and ii't'st, last, and all the time. Don't make it 
Hints, a time for a sermon, a popular lecture, or 

a Bible class. These things have a proper 
time and place^ — which is not the prayer meeting. 
See to it that besides the opening and closing prayer 
there are three or four others. See to it that the 
comments on the lesson or the topic for the meet- 
ing are referred to in the prayers, that the requests 
of the members of the meeting, or their burdens, 
or hopes, or trials are brought before God. Ask 
the people for sentence prayers, embodying one 
thought or one petition, or ask the pastor to- do' it. 

All the membership of the church or those at 
the meeting should take part in it. Don't have it 
said of your prayer meetings that one or twO' or 
three members do all the talking; or, if you are the 
minister, that you do it all yourself. Try to have 
everybody do a little of the work. Of course, 
there will be some that will do the bulk of it; but 
all should help. Search your daily life for material 
for comment. Practical application of Scripture 
and practice is more helpful than speculative talk 
about such things. If you are pastor look out for 
the man or the woman who always comes but who 
never says anything. Find out his or her talent, 



152 The Churchmember's Guide Hh 

and get it to work. Give the backward a task in 
the meeting, even if it is only to read a verse of 
Scripture. Soon they will have sufficient self-con- 
fidence to- pray publicly and to- testify. 

Choose ymir subjects well. Don't get intO' a rut 
with your prayer meeting talks, and have them alike 
week after week. Try to get helpful topics, that 
will aid in bringing the sinner to Christ as well as 
strengthen the brethren and the sisters. Never for- 
get that in every topic there should be something 
for each, and whenever you talk don't forget that 
there may be some unconverted person listening who 
may accept Christ through what you say. Let the 
subjects be chosen at least a month in advance. 
If you are the pastor it will not hurt you to know 
what you are tO' speak about a month hence. Or, 
if you are the leader and only a plain member of 
the congregation, you can be preparing what you 
are to say. It is a good thing to have a church 
bulletin-board and have it put up somewhere in plain 
sight of every person who goes in and out the 
church. The prayer meeting topics should be posted 
on it, along with other church notices. This will 
be found to be a large help in many ways. The 
prayer meeting topics and leaders should be an- 
nounced to the congregation at both Sunday serv- 
ices, also. 

Make what you say brief and to the point. Don't 
talk too much, no matter whether you are the pastor, 
or the leader, or just one of the people, commenting 
and giving testimony. If you are the pastor re- 
member that you are not present to preach a ser- 
mon, but simply to give direction to the meeting. 
Let the others comment, and try to- bring comment 
out from them. If you are the leader outline the 
topic and don't talk more than ten minutes. Leave 



^ How to Hold Prayer Meetings 153 

something for and to the others. If you are sim- 
ply taking part, remember that others may wish to 
say something, toO'. 

Be careful of the imtsic. Don't make the meet- 
ing a song service; but, nevertheless, intersperse 
plenty of good, familiar hymns. Don't have the 
meeting drag because the people do not know the 
words or the tune. Let the music be bright and 
devotional. Sing the hymns with the revival spirit 
in them sO' far as you can put it there. Get every- 
body to sing. But don't sing just to fill up an 
awkward gap. If you are the pastor or the leader 
say something yourself at such a crisis, or call upon 
some one else to- do so-. The places to- put songs 
will come naturally after the meeting gets into 
swing. 

Make people feel at home. Don't let the meetings 
get cold or unlovely. The best Christian is not 
the one that goes around with silent tread and long 
face. Indeed, the true Christian life makes men 
and women bright, and happy and cheerful. Let 
such a spirit as this show in the prayer meeting. 
Make everybody welcome, and have them feel that 
in coming to the meeting they are coming to their 
church home. .Have a word with your neighbor 
after the meeting. And do not forget the strangers. 
Of course you are glad to see them; why not tell 
them so? A little sociability is a good thing in a 
church. If you are the pastor, try to shake hands 
with every one present. Stand at the door and do 
it as the folks pass out. 

Make the prayer meeting a matter of private 
prayer and study. If you are the minister or the 
leader ask God to aid you in the conduct of the 
meeting. You ask Him for other things that are 
far less important; why not take this to Him as 



154 The Churchmember*s Guide ^ 

well? Pray for strength and guidance; pray for 
the voice of the Spirit; pray for patience and tact; 
above all, pray for God's blessing upon the meeting, 
no matter whether you are taking part in if or not. 
Study the topic carefully. Not only will study aid 
you personally, but you may find in it something 
that touches your own life, or that of some near and 
dear relative or friend; for you can help others as 
well as yourself. 

Be punctual in opening and closing. Here is a 
most important point. If your prayer meetings are 
late one way or the other remedy it at once. The 
value of punctuality is tO' be found in religious 
things as well as in the things of ordinary life. If 
necessary, have another meeting immediately after 
the first one ; but close up the one and let those who 
wish to do so go home. If possible do not permit 
the meeting to run beyond an hour or an hour and 
fifteen minutes. Too-lengthy meetings often spoil 
the effect of much good work. 

Always try to make conversions. If you are the 
pastor there is no need to tell you this. But if you 
are only the leader you may not have so thoroughly 
ingrained into you the idea of bringing souls to 
Christ ; and, therefore, the advice may not be amiss. 
Never forget that to be a real Christian you must 
try to save other souls besides your own. Until 
you come to recognize this fact you are losing at 
least half your worth as a Christian, and doing only 
half of your duty. Christ's command was to- preach 
the gospel to all men; and that command was ad- 
dressed to you, as well as to the ministry. Per- 
sonal work is one of the brightest jewels in the 
Christian crown, and one of the most joyful and 
satisfying labors. Always wind up the meeting 
with an earnest plea to the sinner to come to Christ. 



^ How to Hold Prayer Meetings 155 

Ask him or her to come forward, to stand up, to 
make a pro-fession. Find out if there are any in the 
audience that want the prayers of the congregation 
that they may find Christ. Find out if there are 
any that want spiritual advice or help. Get their 
names yourself, if you can, and take them to the 
pastor on the chance that he has not been able to 
get them. Don't let them get away without seeing 
him, if it be only for a minute. That person repre- 
sents a soul to be saved; get after it as you would 
to throw a plank or a rope to a drow^ning man. 

Do some of the zvork yourself. Don't expect the 
pastor to do it all. Most pastors will appreciate the 
help of their people, and most of them are willing 
to have the prayer meetings led by laymen some- 
times. It does him good and it will do you good. 
If he isn't present remember him in the prayers. 
Be careful in the choice of lay leaders, if you are 
on the committee for that purpose. Let the men 
you ask to do things be fitted for the work, so far 
as is possible in a layman, and give them plenty of 
time to prepare. Help have the hymn books dis- 
tributed and the Bibles handy for reference, if the 
church is well-stocked with them. Incidentally, 
this is a fine work to break in the young people. 

Don't criticise. One of the greatest hindrances 
to successful meetings is the manner in which many 
persons criticise others when they lead, or pray, or 
speak. Avoid it. Remember the words of Scrip- 
ture: ''Judge not." They are very applicable in 
this instance, for the one you criticise may have 
just as good (or better) cause to criticise you. 

It is difficult to put together a good list 

Meeting ^^ prayer meetmg topics. The pastor or 

Topics. the committee in charge of this work often 

is greatly at loss about it. The following 



156 The Churchmember's Guide Hh 

list is offered for consideration. Perusal of it may- 
suggest other topics and texts, or lead to such 
thoughts as will suggest them. 

Personal work — James i. 22. 

Individual responsibility — John xxi. 20-24. 

Don't get discouraged — i Kings xix. 1-18. 

The way to pray — James v. 15-18. 

Saying a word for Christ — Acts iv. 13-21. 

Get a firm footing — Col. ii. 6, 7. 

Helps to conversion — Acts viii. 35-37. 

The Christian example — Romans xii. 9-21. 

Armor of proof — Eph. vi. 10-18. 

Being a Christian in business — Neh. v. 1-13. 

Things to think about — Phil. iv. 8. 

What Christ gives you — Ps. ciii. 2. 

Things we know — i John v. 10-15. 

Excuses — Exodus iv. 10-12. 

Looking backward — Ps. cxlv. 1-21. 

Promise and proof — Heb. vi. 9-20. 

Crosses and bearing them — Matt. x. 37-39. 

Riches and poverty — 2 Cor. viii. 9. 

Something you can do — i Thes. v. 14, 15. 

Things that hurt— Titus iii. 9. 

For what? — i Peter ii. 9. 

Big things in little — Prov. vi. 14-19. 

How near are we to God? — Prov. xv. 29. 

Which is our path? — Prov. iv. 14-19. 

Whom God chooses — i Cor. i. 26-29. 

Besting Satan — 2 Cor. ii. 10, 11. 

For our brothers — Phil. i. 9-1 1. 

Worthy or worthless? — James i. 26. 

A Christian's last words — 2 Tim. iv. 6-9. 

An enemy to fight — i Peter v. 8. 

Thanksgiving — Luke xvii. 12-18. 

Wealth that is good — i Tim. vi. 17-19. 

Bearing the burden — Gal. vi. 2, 5. 

The good Christian witness — Phil. i. 14. 

With a careful use of the aboive in connection 
with the references in your Bible the list can be 
expanded into one five times its size, and each topic 
doubtless will suggest others to the careful Bible 
student. For series talks the following are sug- 
gested : 



^ How to Hold Prayer Meetings 157 



The Christian : 

Character. 

Rejoicing. 

Conversation. 

Example. 

Courage. 
Certainties : 

Forgiveness of Sins. 

God's Promises. 

God's Judgments. 
Belief or Unbelief: 

Unbelief's Folly. 

What the Word Says of Unbelief. 

Promises to Unbelievers. 

Promises to Believers. 

Duties of Believers. 

Blessings for Believers. 

Do You Believe? 

Will You Believe? 



* * «* 



HOW TO CONDUCT EXPERIENCE 

MEETINGS 

The experience meeting must not be 
^^^ mistaken for the prayer meetmg. The 

Purpose. one is totally different from the other. 

The experience meeting is especially 
intended for the Christian and the church worker. 
While it does not do harm for the person O'Utside 
of the fold of Christ to be present, since there he 
or she may hear and see things that are likely to 
result in conversion; nevertheless, the experience 
meeting, first and foremost, is for the personal ben- 
efit of the Christian. There should be the place 
where fellow-workers for Christ gather to get in- 
spiration from each other for the advancement of 
the cause; for keeping themselves right with God 
by telling one to the other their faults and frailties, 
drawing lessons from them, and endeavoring to pre- 
vent them from pulling the Christian down from 
his or her high estate. 

In the sixteenth verse of the ii6th Psalm, David 
says : *^Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I 
will declare what he hath done for my soul." Here 
is the true spirit of the experience meeting. ''All 
ye that fear God" unquestionably means the believer, 
and thus David wants all who believe to come and 
hear what God has done for him. None, really, 
can comprehend what this means, but the man or 
the woman that has accepted Christ. God has done 
so much for such persons that they must needs tell 
it. And what God has done for one Christian He 

('58) 



^ Experience Meetings 159 

has done likewise for some other one. Thus are 
testimonies exchanged. 

No one ever told a good experience that the tell- 
ing did not help some fellow-Christian. It may 
have confirmed and strengthened one, or it may 
have dispelled the doubts of another that for the 
moment may have been wavering. John Wesley 
told often of the hour that he considered the time 
of his conversion, although at the time it arrived 
he was a regularly ordained minister. He said : ''I 
felt my heart strangely warmed." Paul also often 
related the wonderful conversion that was his. 

Besides, the experience meeting makes religion a 
personal matter. It is not necessary always to re- 
late the facts regarding the time that you accepted 
Christ, for there are a thousand-and-one things that 
crop up in daily life which can be made the subject 
of testimony. These practical lessons in Christian 
living and doing are the things that make religion 
so beautifully personal. We can see what others do 
and how they do it ; we can imitate their good ex- 
amples; we can shun the pitfalls they discovered 
barely in time to escape them. Such testimonies set 
the churchmember to thinking O'f the relationship of 
his own soul toward God, and he can speak out to 
his fello'W-members without egotism, since among 
them he is in the bosom of his Christian family. 
And he can obey the apostle's injunction : ''Exam- 
ine yourselves whether ye be in the faith." 

The experience meeting should be the place where, 
in particular, the Christian sho^uld pray with his 
fellow-Christians for the correction of each other's 
faults. It is idle to say that we do not have them ; 
it is the attitude of the modern Pharisee as well. 
James said: ''Confess your faults one to another, 
and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.'' 



160 The Churchmember*s Guide ^ 

The prayer of a righteous man or woman avails 
much. All those that participate get help from it. 

The experience meeting rightfully should 
and ^^ under the chargp of the pastor. All the 
Hints, membership of the church should be invited 
to attend it, and the pastor should see to it 
that every one. of his flock attends at least four 
times a year. The meetings are of too serious a 
character to be held weekly and it would be better 
to have them but once a month, and on a date apart 
from the regular weekly prayer meeting. If any 
incident happen in the life of the member that he 
or she would like the other members to know, and 
the experience meeting is too far in the future, it 
can be told in the prayer meeting. 

The meeting should be opened with the singing 
of a devotional hymn, expressive of Christian love 
and fellowship, or telling of God's goodness to His 
people. The minister then should offer a prayer, 
thanking God for His mercies, especially in pre- 
serving those present in life and in the faith, and 
for the gift of salvation through the Redeemer. 
Alfter this a second hymn may be sung, at the dis- 
cretion O'f the minister. The meeting then should 
begin its actual work. It is always in order, at this 
stage, for the minister to make a few remarks, re- 
lating some personal experience that has come tO' his 
notice in his pastoral work or in his contact with the 
world; or, he may deliver a short talk on the pur- 
pose of the meeting and the good that comes from 
it. 

After this the meeting should be thrown open to 
general testimony from any or all present. After 
each experience the pastor may wisely make such 
comment as may occur to him from it, thanking the 
person who has spoken, and calling attention to the 



^ Experience Meetings 161 

lessons to be derived, and winding up with the re- 
quest that some one else testify. At such points 
as he may deem best he should ofifer prayer, or ask 
some one else to do SO'^ keeping in mind the nature 
of the experiences and making proper petition for 
such as have asked for prayers. Or, if he sees 
fit, he may ask the meeting to join him in silent 
prayer, so that each person present can bring a per- 
sonal petition to God. 

It is wise to follow prayer with a devotional 
hymn, after the singing of which the hearing of 
testimony can be resumed. The pastor should en- 
deavour, so far as possible, to draw out the willing 
experiences of all those present, asking all to mani- 
fest, in some way or other, by a sentence testimony 
or the reading of a verse of Scripture, the thought, 
desire, or lesson that is nearest their heart. 

The meeting should not be permitted to last more 
than an hour and fifteen minutes, unless for some 
special reason. After the testimonies are ended and 
the hour ior closing draws near, the pastor should 
ask if there are any persons present who wish to 
request the prayers of the congregation for them- 
selves or for others. Careful note should be made 
of such requests, and the pastor, when making his 
closing prayer, should not fail to mention them in it. 
The meeting should conclude with the singing of 
one or the other of the ''Doxologies." 

Before closing^ this topic it may be advis- 
Thing'S o r ^ 

^^^ able to set down a few "don'ts" to those 

to Do. who participate in experience meetings. By 
obsenang them carefully much will be 
avoided that tends to lower the tone of the meet- 
ing and to bring about a desire on the part of the 
congregation to stay away. They are : 

Don't repeat, time and again, the same testimony. 
II 



162 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

There are whole hosts of things in your daily Hfe 
that will shpw you new sides and phases of the 
Christian faith ^nd give you new thought for testi- 
mony. 

Don't tell always about your own conversion. It 
is a matter of joy to you, of course, but surely God 
has done something else for you since then, or you 
have seen Him do something for some one else. 

Don't talk too long or use words that you do not 
quite understand. Be simple and plain in your lan- 
guage. It will carry greater weight and be a great- 
er help to those who hear it. 

Don't always take a hopeless view of things. 
God is merciful as well as just. Do the best you 
can and pray for strength to do still better. You 
will find that your experiences will be more hopeful 
and joyous, and you will see the same things in 
those who are around you. 

Don't feel scared when the minister calls upon 
you for testimony. The persons around you are 
your brothers and sisters in Christ. Your testimony 
will help them as well as help you. 

Don't criticise. Be sympathetic and kind. The 
Golden Rule always should be remembered. It is 
just as applicable at an experience meeting as it 
is at a horse-trade, or selling your crop, or doing 
business, or living alongside your neighbor. 

Don't talk for the sake of saying something. No 
stretch of the imagination can call such talks ex- 
periences or testimonies. Remember what is said in 
the Bible about people who are fond of front seats 
in the synagogues and what Christ thought of such 
folks. 

Don't exaggerate your testimony. This is only 
a fo'rm of lying and there is no place in the king- 
dom of heaven for the liar, especially the liar who 



^ Experience Meetings 163 

lies about religious things. Surely you can make 
your testimony sufficiently forcible without going 
beyond the facts. 

Don't think the world is going to be bad all the 
time. Some people get into the habit of making 
long talks in experience meetings about the badness 
they have seen and say they do' not know what is 
going to become of the world. Mankind is growing 
better, not worse. Just think what a terrible thing 
it would be if this were not true, and just think what 
a terrible failure God's plan for the redemption of 
the worid through His Son would be, too. But God 
isn't failing, nor is He going to fail. History shows 
us that men are very, very much better than they 
were at the time when Christ died. 

^ * * 



HOW TO CONDUCT WATCH 
MEETINGS 



The idea of the watch, or midnip^ht, 
Importance . . , , . ,° , 

and meeting is a very old one. Away back 

Purpose. in the past, in the early days of the 
Church, it was the custom for many 
Christian congregations to meet at night only. The 
reasons for this were purely those of policy. At 
the time the custom originated, all the followers of 
Christ were suffering bitter and bloody persecution 
at the hands oi the pagan Roman emperors, who 
were trying to stamp out the worship of the true 
God. There often were meetings during the day in 
private houses, but they necessarily were small. For 
the meetings whereat many could hear the preach- 
ing and join in' the worship recourse was had to 
waste and desolate places outside the cities. These 
meetings took place at night. As a result, there 
grew up a habit of observing certain particular 
occasions, notably that of the day on which the 
Saviour died — Friday, which for many years was 
regularly commemorated as often as the day came 
around. 

As the years went on and the Church spread, it 
became the habit to hold what was known as 'Vig- 
ils" on the eve. of some important day in the Chris- 
tian year. At these vigils, or watches, there were 
prayers, devotional hymns, and short discourses or 
meditations. These occasions were chiefly on the eve 
or the night of days sacred tO' saints and martyrs, the 
eve of Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, and one or 

(164) 



^ Watch Meetings 165 

two other events. The Roman Cathohc church, 
with its monks and hermit priests, carried these 
occasions to great excess, but one of them survived 
when the others were abandoned by the Protestants, 
and has continued to be observed to this day. 

This one time is New Year's Eve, when good 
and devout Christians assemble in the last minutes 
of the old year, watch it go out, and witness the 
birth of the new one. It is a most solemn hour. 
The Christian, during it, can look back upon the 
things of the dying year, give thanks for the bless- 
ings that God has given him, think with contrition 
of the errors he or she has committed, pray for 
strength and guidance in the year that is to come, 
and, when the moment arrives when that year, is 
born, give praise to God for it and for His manifold 
mercies to mankind, praying for a higher degree of 
the Christian life during it. 

In more ways than one the watch meeting is 
typical O'f the Christian life. Like the old year that 
dies and the new one that is born, so has the Old 
Adam in the Christian died and the New Adam been 
born at the time of his or her conversion. In the 
old life, as in the old year, there was sorrow; the 
new one brings new life and new joy. 

Every member that can possibly do so 
and should attend the watch meeting. The cus- 
Hints. torn is a most beautiful one, and the service 
is one full of deep religious feeling. During 
it there are many opportunities for the touching of 
some sinner's heart. The pastor and the member- 
ship should make earnest preparation for it, partic- 
ularly if, as in some churches, the latter take part. 

The pastor should preside, if it be possible. If 
not let one of the elders or one of the deacons — 
a person in whom the pastor has confidence — take 



166 The Churcnmember s Guide ^ 

charge. The meeting should be called for half 
past eleven o'clock. If the church has a bell some 
person should be told off to ring it exactly at the 
midnight hour. 

The time for opening having arrived, the meeting 
should be begun by a hymn, such as ''Another year 
is dawning." This should be followed by a prayer 
by the minister, elder, or deacon who' is presiding. 
He then should talk for about ten minutes, using 
some such theme as 2 Tim. iv. 5 ; i Thes. v. 6 ; 
I Cor. xvi. 13; Matt. xxiv. 42; or Rev. iii. 3. In 
the latter part of his talk he should refer to the 
solemnity of the occasion and the fact that all good 
Christians should seize the time to give thanks to 
God for His mercies, and to determine to show 
forth those thanks in the coming year by living clos- 
er to the Master. 

Five minutes before the hour of midnight the 
congregation should begin a season of silent prayer, 
waiting for the bell to ring forth the beginning of 
the new" year. As soon as the bell has ceased ring- 
ing the congregation should sing a spirited hymn, 
such as ''Break, new-born year,'' or "O God, our 
help in ages past." This done, the minister or 
leader should call for minute or sentence expressions 
of thanksgiving from the people, or petitions of 
prayer for grace or blessings. These should not 
last more than fifteen minutes, after which there 
should be a closing prayer and a dismissal hymn, 
preferably some familiar and joyous old song that 
every person knows. 

The writer desires to put special stress upon the 
conduct of the meeting after the hour of midnight 
has been sounded. The securing of minute or sen- 
tence expressions of gratitude to God for blessings 
in the past year, and minute or sentence resolutions 



►i* Watch Meetings 167 

or prayers is most important. Thus the members 
of the congregation place themselves on record as 
thankful to the Father for His mercies and show 
forth their desire to live a life in the future setting 
out before the world their gratitude. The effect 
upon the unconverted of this sort of testimony is in- 
valuable. The minister or the leader must not for- 
get that at the watch meeting, as well as in any 
other meeting, there should be an earnest effort made 
to save souls. We never can tell, when a meeting 
is begun, whether or not some one is to be led to 
Christ before it is over. If the conversion does not 
come then it may at some not far distant time. The 
Christian's motto should be: ''Sow the seed all the 
time." 



HOW TO CONDUCT RALLY 
MEETINGS 

There come times in the histOTv of 
Importance , - , . . 

^^^ every church when it is necessary for 

Purpose. the congregation to make extraordinary 
efforts to raise money. Churches con- 
tract debts just the same as people do. And Hke 
people, again, they often find their pocketbooks in 
sad need of replenishing after the debts have been 
paid, or short O'f the money to meet them, in the 
first place. 

The making of debts is not always the fault of 
the church, or bad management on the part of those 
who are handling the church's business affairs. 
Furnaces may suddenly need repairs, something 
may go wrong with the organ, the roof may develop 
an unexpected leak, or any one of a number of un- 
foreseen calls for money may arise. Through bad 
business times, or the failure of crops, or the death 
of stock from disease, the congregation may find 
itself unable to keep up its full support of the church. 
Or, it may want toi pay off the small balance of that 
mortgage which has been hanging over its house of 
worship. 

For the purpose of attending to these financial 
troubles in the right way the rally meeting was de- 
vised. It is a most important thing. It brings out 
the true spirit of Christian giving, in that it calls upon 
one follower of Christ to come to the aid of his 
fellow. The whole Church should be bound to- 
gether by such ties, and it is the duty of one Chris- 
(i68) 



* Rally Meetings 169 

tian to help another in so far as he or she is able. 
When the Christian gives it should be with the 
thought in his heart that he is only giving back to 
God some of that with which God has blessed him, 
so that God may give it to some one else and bless 
them in turn. 

The rally meeting originally was planned for the 
raising of money, although it has been utiHzed by 
some ministers and congregations for the purpose 
of reviving the spiritual life of the church. This is 
an erroneoius idea of it. For injecting new life into 
a church and waking it up to a sense of its respon- 
sibilities there is an entirely. different method, which 
has nothing whatever to do with the rally meeting 
and the methods pursued for it. 

The successful rally meeting needs careful 
and planning and equally careful execution. 
Hints. Unless the plans that are made are good 
ones and are carried out in the proper man- 
ner no other meeting can be quite so great a failure. 

When it is decided to hold the rally meeting the 
date for it shoulcl be set at least sixty days in the 
future. This period is none too long to perfect all 
the plans, to devise methods and carry them out, and 
to give the meeting the wide publicity so necessary 
to its success. 

The proper officers of the church, or the church's 
business meeting, having once settled the purpose 
to hold the meeting, should make the announce- 
ment of it to the congregation, and then should 
appoint a committee to take entire charge O'f it. The 
chairman of this committee should be the pastor, 
and the church treasurer should be the treasurer of 
it. Among its members should be the most active 
of the church membership and the persons upon 
whom the pastor can depend for good hard work. 



170 The ChurcKmember^s Guide Hh 

The pastor should appoint from the main com- 
mittee three or four sub-committees — one, composed 
of good talkers and persons pretty well known in 
the community, to go around among the people of 
the neighboring churches and advertise to them the 
fact that the meeting is to be held, and when, and 
to act generally as publicity agents; another tO' de- 
vise plans for the rally; another to attend to the 
church arrangements for the day of the meeting; 
and, if there is to be a little supper or refreshment 
for those w^ho come, another to attend to the pro- 
viding and serving of the eatables. It is very wise 
to appoint some of the most active of the wives, 
mothers, and daughters of the congregation to these 
committees, for at such affairs their services are 
usually of high value. 

These committees should get to work immediately 
after appointment, hold meetings regularly, and re- 
port to the main committee, so that at all times the 
pastor and his helpers can know just exactly what 
is being done and what is going on. The publicity 
committee should talk up the ralfy on all sides and 
not relax their work until the meeting is over. The 
committee on plans should create, so far as they 
can, novel means for the raising of funds; and the 
committee on church arrangement should plan to 
carry them out. The work of the refreshment com- 
mittee is quite well known to every woman mem- 
ber of the church. 

There are countless ways for the plans committee 
to act. The following are a few of them : 

Divide the membership of the church intO' men 
and women and let each occupy a side of the church 
on rally day, with two long or a number of small 
tables at which certain ones can sit to receive money 
while the others get the visitors to give it, with 



4* Rally Meetings 171 

keen rivalry between the sexes to see which will se- 
cure the most. 

Divide the church membership into married and 
single folks and follow the same methods. 

Form classes or special tables named after per- 
sons famous in the denominational history, famous 
missionaries, noted bishops or ministers, or places 
famous in Scripture. 

Divide the membership into twelve equal parts or 
tables, naming each after one of the months of the 
year, and let the tables be decorated in accordance, 
with representations of ice and snow for the winter 
months; corn, cotton, fruit or vegetables, for har- 
vest; green things for spring; and autumn leaves, 
etc., for the fall. 

Divide the membership into a number of classes 
6r tables representing the different nations, and have 
the attendants decorate them w^th flags or other 
national emblems, in accordance with the idea. 

Give each member of the congregation note-books, 
punch-cards, or papers ruled off into bricks and 
have them canvass for money on the basis of five, 
ten, or twenty-five cent pledges, punches, or bricks, 
seeing which can bring in the largest number of 
paid pledges, punches, or bricks. 

Each table should elect its treasurer, who should 
be accountable to the treasurer of the main com- 
mittee, and the working force of the tables should 
be so divided that one part can be at work soliciting 
while the other is resting or in attendance on the 
table. Everybody should endeavor to get as much 
money as possible by having their friends pledge 
themselves to their support or the support of their 
table. If a visitor gives a dollar it is not necessary 
to give it to one person or to one table, however. 
It can be divided into two, four, five, or ten parts. 



172 The Churchmember*s Guide ^ 

The children of the Sunday-school can be utilized 
to advantage in this way also, with books, punch- 
cards, and bricks, one class making an effort to 
outstrip the other in the amooint of money raised. 

Everything should be ready bright and early on 
rally day at the church, and it should be open from 
lo A.M. until lo P.M., with attendants present. 
There should be a devotional service in the morn- 
ing, and, in the afternoon, a neighboring minister 
should speak or preach. It is by no means a bad 
idea to have some of the best of the singers of the 
congregation (and to invite a few from others) to 
render sacred songs and hymns at various intervals 
while the rally is in progress. Finally, the attempt 
should be made to make the rally just as interesting 
and novel as possible, and to make everybody feel 
at home. Care should be taken that all who give 
should receive sincere and heartily-expressed thanks, 
and before the rally clo-ses the pastor should deliver 
a little talk tO' the visitors along this line. 

Before closing this chapter it may not be amiss 
to set down a few ^'don'ts" which churchmembers 
should bear in mind with regard to the holding of 
rally meetings. They are offered to the reader with 
the earnest recommendation that they be observed: 

Don't hold too many rally meetings. Once in a 
while it is well enough to ask the friends of the 
church and the members oi sister churches to aid in 
some good and needed work, but the church that 
gets into the habit of asking other churches to pay its 
debts is in an exceedingly bad way and had better 
close its doors for the spirit of true Christianity is 
not in it. In the first place, such a church is not 
honest; in the second it is not doing business right. 

Don't expect too much from your friends. In 
other words, do not expect that they are going to 



^ Rally Meetings 173 

contribute all of the money that you need. If you 
do you will get into the custom of expecting them 
to do it all the time, which will bring about a con- 
dition advised against in the ''don't" just above. 

Don't be mean yourself. This has a double ef- 
fect. The first is: don't depend entirely on out- 
siders to give all the money at a rally meeting. Make 
an extra effort to give some personally. The second 
is : don't refuse tO' give to the other church when it 
holds a rally meeting. It helped you once; there- 
fore you, in turn, should give aid when you are 
asked. 



►i- 



HOW TO CONDUCT LOVE FEASTS 



The love feast, as observed by the 
mpor ance j^^j^j^^^-g q£ ^\^^ Methodist denomina- 

and 

Purpose. tion, is a modernized form of a very 

ancient institution. In the first days of 
the early Church, Christians were w^ont to assem- 
ble to talk about religious things, and tO' meet one 
another in love, friendship, and kindness. These 
meetings were not particularly times of worship, but 
rather times for the social intercourse of a family 
in God. During them, as was natural w^ith peoples 
so given to hospitality as were the Jews and Gen- 
tiles of that age, refreshments were served. 

From this type of meeting there grew up a 
custom of holding at certain times feasts at which 
neighboring Christians gathered in love and fellow- 
ship, and for spiritual stimulus. So far as can be 
conjectured, the feast was largely in memorial of 
that last meal at which Christ gave to his disciples 
the ordinance now observed as The Lord's Supper, 
although without its present significance. The 
early Christians, after the feast, seem to have ob- 
served the sacrament in its true form, and from this 
fact is inferred that the feast that preceded it was 
in imitation and memory of the supper that pre- 
ceded the institution of the ordinance. 

These feasts were called agapce, from a Greek 
word indicating the love that characterized them. 
For a long time they were looked upon as most ex- 
cellent things, since they brought Christians together 
(^74) 



lOve 



Feasts 175 



in brotherly love and spiritual fellowship, promoting 
the cause, leading to conversions, and strengthen- 
ing all those that attended by setting forth the ideas 
of the equality of all believers, and their fraternity 
as members of God's family. But gradually abuses 
set in. The feasts, once feasts only in the name, 
since great frugality and temperance in eating and 
drinking were observed, were turned into unseemly 
banquets. Paul noticed these abuses and complained 
of them, as also did Jude, and finally the councils of 
the Church abolished them. 

Mr. Wesley, in preparing ways for his followers 
to keep themselves in love, faith, and charity, re- 
vived for his Methodist bands and classes this an- 
cient institution, the love feast, and ever since it has 
been one of the usages peculiar to Methodism. The 
love feast is held, in many of the churches, once 
every three months, and in others as often as the 
minister may see fit. Methodist pastors give evi- 
dence that they are excellent things for the promo- 
tion of love and a higher degree of spirituality in 
the congregation. They are also held prior to the 
opening of many of the conferences of the church. 
While "Discipline,'' the code of laws of the 
Methodists, states that they are to be held behind 
closed doors it does not mean that only Methodists 
are to be admitted to them, as it also distinctly says 
that ''other serious persons'' may take part. 

The minister or pastor should preside, or, 
Form for . - . , . -. - - 

Love ^^ ^^ absence, a presidmg elder or some 

Feasts. Other minister or pastor. A table should 
be laid on the chancel or in the space be- 
tween it and the first row of seats. Upon it should 
be spread a white cloth and plates or trays for the 
bread and cups or glasses, for the proper distribu- 
tion of the bread and the water used in the ceremony. 



176 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Both the bread and the water should be on the table 
or in some place convenient of access. Only un- 
leavened bread and pure water should be used. 

Before the hour fixed for the feast the minister 
who is to preside sho'uld confer with the stewards, 
deacons, or others that are tO' assist him, and the 
congregation should be portioned ofif into sections, 
two servers to each section, one to serve the bread 
and the other to serve the water. If the congrega- 
tion be small two servers will suffice. Four usually 
are quite enough, but in very large assembHes it 
may be necessary to utilize six or eight. 

The love feast should be opened with the singing 
of a hymn, significant of the brotherhood of man- 
kind in Christ and the divine love. This should be 
followed by a prayer, along somewhat similar lines. 
The minister then should make a short address, call- 
ing attention to the nature of the ceremony, what it 
is to be for, and the qualities of grace that are ex- 
l>ected to arise from it. The persons that are to 
assist then are called to the table, and, after they 
have partaken at the hands of the minister, the 
plates and cups given to them. 

They should take the bread and the water imme- 
diately to the congregation. In serving, the per- 
son with the bread should precede the person with 
the water. The plate should be handed to the per- 
son sitting nearest the aisle in the first row of seats. 
He should partake, and pass the plate to the next 
person, thus sending the plate from hand to hand 
until it reaches the last person in the row. This 
person should hand it to the one immediately be- 
hind, and it then should pass from person to- person 
back to the server, who should continue to go 
through the same form until all in his section are 
served^ The person with the water should carry 



iOve 



Feasts 177 



with him a larger vessel than the glass or the cup, 
refilling the glass or cup as often as it shall become 
empty. His method of serving should be the same 
as that of the person with the bread. 

The serving having been concluded, those present 
should give, in short, concise iorm, some details of 
their religious experience. The thought chosen 
should be such likely to prove spiritually beneficial 
to the others. After each experience the pastor 
should say a word or two of comment or thanks 
for the testimony, and ask some one else to continue 
the giving of experience. The meeting should end 
with the singing of a devotional hymn (and none is 
better suited to the occasion than '^Blest be the tie 
that binds'') and prayer by the minister. 

12 



* 



HOW TO CONDUCT A SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL 

Of all the institutions for the spread 
^^^ of the gospel conected with the modern 

Purpose. church the Sunday-school holds a place 

far higher than any other. Any at- 
tempt to belittle it or to make it inferior to other 
means of extending the kingdom is short-sighted in 
judgment and usually disastrous in effect. No oth- 
er evangelical method is so fruitful of results as the 
Sunday-school. No other way of teaching the Bible 
is so successful. No other single means of incul- 
cating the basic doctrines of Christianity achieves 
the desired end so thoroughly. The reasons for 
this state of affairs are many. 

In the first place, the Sunday-school begins its 
work upon the receptive mind of the child, planting 
the seeds of the Christian life at the most important 
and favorable time of life. Truly indeed has it 
been said : ^^Train up a child in the way it should 
go, and in its age it will not depart from it." The 
little one that goes intO' the infant class and hears 
about the wonderful life of Christ cannot fail to 
remember the story of that life and profit by it. 
As years pass, the child is promoted from one class 
to the O'ther, slowly expanding in knowledge of the 
Bible and the things of the religious life, and grad- 
ually assuming broader and deeper ideas regarding 
Christian affairs. The good work begun in the in- 
fant class has its reward when, as a youth or a girl 
in the teens, the pupil is added tO' the membership of 
(178) 



^ A Sunday-School 179 

the church as a veritable child O'f God, and another 
priceless soul is saved. 

There is no doubt among ministers and church 
workers that the Sunday-school is the greatest of all 
feeders of the church. Its results are more regular 
and satisfying than those of the revival, more sure 
than those of any other type of church work, and 
more productive of good and useful workers. 

Another reason why the Sunday-school should be 
fostered and encouraged, and thought over, and 
worked with, rests in the fact that in the rising gen- 
eration is to be found always the future church. 
The boy and girl of to-day are the church workers 
of to-morrow; the earnest, serious Bible student in 
this year's Bible class will prove tO' be the minister, 
the deacon, or the superintendent ten years hence; 
the young woman teacher, with her class of boys or 
girls, not far hence will be teaching boys and girls 
that will call her mother. And thus will go on 
from year to year the constant growth and spread 
of God's kingdom through the agency of the Sun- 
day-school alone. 

There can be no question what the church's duty 
is toward this great institution. The congregation 
that neglects its Sunday-school is storing up trouble 
fo'r itself, and sooner or later must feel the weight 
of God's displeasure. Look around and see if this 
is not true. Find a poorly-handled or a neglected 
Sunday-school and under the same roof you will 
find an unsuccessful, weak, and dying church. Find 
a live, progressive, and interested Sunday-school 
and you also will find a growing, consecrated, and 
energetic church. Of all the great institutions that 
have sprung up in and around the Church within 
the last century not one equals the Sunday-school 
for the amount of work it does and for the wide 



180 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

area over which this work is spread. And not the 
least of the good it does is the taking of Christ and 
the Bible into homes where the Son of God and 
His Word never have been before. 

How shall the Sunday-school be conduct- 
Vital ^^^ ^^^ question is one most difficult to 
Points, answer. It is being asked by thousands 
of pastors in thousands of churches all over 
the land — not only in small churches with small 
schools but in big churches with big schools. Ways 
and means are changing constantly; new methods 
are being devised all the time; new programs and 
new schemes for management and teaching are al- 
ways being thought out. This makes it difficult to 
outline a single method for the conduct of a school, 
especially when the very best minds of the various 
denominations profess themselves puzzled over dif- 
ferent phases of the subject. But all unite in de- 
claring that the Sunday-school is vitally important 
as a feature of church life^ that it never must be 
abandoned, that every energy must be devoted to 
building it up and increasing its efficiency, and that 
to lay down a set rule and say '^Here is the best way 
to run a Sunday-school," and make that rule apply 
in all cases is impossible. 

Nevertheless, certain principles are at the base of 
the matter in any way in which it is viewed, and may 
be followed in all cases. They can be stated in the 
shape of six cardinal principles, set down in the fol- 
lowing order : 

1. Teach God's word thoroughly, perfectly, and 
accurately. 

2. Aim for the salvation of every soul in the 
school. 

3. Train the members for active Christian service 
in the church and world, 



^ A Sunday-School 181 

4. Aim to have the school spread God's king- 
dom. 

5. Make the church a home to the pupils — their 
church home. 

6. Keep the boys and girls interested, nO' matter 

what their age. 

In conducting a Sunday-school, as 
Equipment .,..-. - • i- 

^^^ m buildmg a no'use or m digging a 

Organization, ditch, it is necessary to have tools 
with which to work. The first 
thing, of course, is to have a suitable room. Not all 
churches, even in towns and cities, possess any other 
large room than the one in which the regular church 
service is held. Under such circumstances, it there- 
fore is impossible to hold the school anywhere else. 
But, so far as is possible, there should be a separate 
room for the school, so arranged that the Bible and 
infant classes can be shut off into smaller rooms of 
their own. The work in both these departments is 
of such a character that special apartments are al- 
most a necessity for them, during the study hour at 
least. During the opening and closing exercises it 
is wisdom to have the entire school together, and 
therefore the ideal Sunday-school room is one with 
movable partitions which can shut off the different 
departments or throw all into one at the pleasure of 
the superintendent. 

But such arrangements as these are not always 
possible, especially in small and country churches. 
In such cases, the best of the situation, whatever it 
may be, must be made ; but in all cases it is advisable 
to remove the infant and Bible departments as far 
from the main body of the school as the size of the 
room or the church will permit. 

Wherever possible, chairs should be used for the 
pupils instead of pews or benches. This will per- 



182 The Ghurchmember's Guide ^ 

mit the class to assemble in a semicircle in front of 
the teacher, thus affording a better chance for close 
teaching and study, and giving the teacher com- 
mand over the class at all times. This is some- 
thing that cannot always be obtained in small or 
country churches, and in such cases the teachers 
should arrange to sit so that a good view of each 
member of the class can be had. 

Another feature of good equipment is the pos- 
session of two or three maps for hanging on the 
walls, so that both the teachers and the pupils can 
see them. One should be a map of the Holy Land 
and another the missionary travels of Paul. These 
are all that are strictly necessary. If the means of 
the school will allow a map of Jerusalem or of 
Christ's journey ings would be an excellent addi- 
tion. It is also a good idea to have some large, 
colored prints, illustrating Scriptural incidents, to 
hang around the room. They are not expensive 
and can be bought singly or in collections. 

A large blackboard is a very valuable article in 
the Sunday-school room. The larger city schools 
find that they cannot do without them. With some 
white and colored chalks and a little patience a per- 
son without much artistic talent can draw numerous 
things to illustrate the lesson and make it interesting 
to the children. Ideas for these illustrations can be 
found in the majority of the Sunday-school papers 
and the lesson helps, and the pastor or the superin- 
tendent soon will find that they have paid for them- 
selves in helpfulness. 

No Sunday-school is fit to begin work unless well 
supplied with Bibles. Most of the teachers, of 
course, will have Bibles of their own. The same 
thing should be said of the pupils. Children should 
be taught to get a Book for themselves. The put- 



>b A Sunday-School 183 

ting-away of the money necessary to buy one may 
result in fortune and wealth at a future day. It 
should be made a point of honor and merit among 
the classes that each pupil have his or her own Bible 
and have it at Sunday-school every Sunday. The 
class or classes having all Bibles present should be 
rewarded by being called the honor or excelsior class- 
es of the day. 

In the larger and better provided communities this 
state of affairs will not be difficult to bring about; 
but it doubtless will not be so easy in the more 
thinly-settled and poorer country districts. Still, an 
effort should be made to attain it. If the pupils 
cannot provide their own Bibles, however, the church 
should make an effort to do so-. A Sunday-school 
without the Bible is like a locomotive without steam. 

No matter what the size of the school it should 
be thoroughly organized. Small or large, it should 
have proper officers, each fitted for the place, in so 
far as the material at hand will permit, and each 
doing his or her work and nothing else. The wis- 
dom of this policy has been proved a thousand 
times. Anything in which a number of people 
are concerned or are at work, whether it be a Sun- 
day-school, a company, a business, or a nation, must 
not be permitted tO' go along in a haphazard manner, 
else it soon will break up. There must be method 
and system. To provide these essentials there must 
be persons to superintend, oversee, carry out, and, 
above all, to plan. 

In the first place, there should be a superintend- 
ent. He should be chosen by vote of the whole 
church, and the greatest care should be taken that 
he be fitted for the post. He should be a man 
whose faith and devotion are above question ; he 
should have some talent for organization and ad- 



184 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

ministratio'n, and especially should he be well-posted 
in the Bible and religious affairs and have an apti- 
tude for teaching. At first glance this seems a large 
list of qualifications, but pretty nearly every church 
has such a man. He should be permitted to choose 
an organist, a secretary, and a treasurer for the 
school, although this is not always the custom. He 
also should have something tO' say regarding the 
choice of teachers. Since he is to work with them 
and they with him, it is only wisdom that his wishes 
should be respected regarding them. If the Sunday- 
school is a small one the office of secretary and 
treasurer should be consolidated. 

The school should be graded ; the entire member- 
ship should be separated and classed according to 
age and sex. In the Bible and infant classes the 
sexes may be mixed ; in the others it is advisable to 
have the boys and girls in separate classes. All the 
xhildren below a certain age should be placed in the 
infant class. Between this and the Bible class there 
should be at least two divisions — one of juniors and 
another of seniors. Promotion should be made 
yearly, the brighter pupils going into higher classes. 
In larger schools it often is found advisable to make 
one or more sub-divisions between the juniors and 
the seniors in the shape of first and second inter- 
mediate classes. The Bible class should be com- 
posed of the older and more advanced pupils. It 
should be taught by the pastor, or one of the deacons 
or elders, if the school is a large one. In small 
schools the superintendent often has charge of it. 
It is well to give each class a name, in honor of 
some famous pastor, missionary, or bishop of the 
denomination, or some place famous in the Bible. 
This tends to give the class a distinction of which 
it can be proud. 



»i" A Sunday-School 185 

The teacher in the Sunday-school is like 

and ^^^ P^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^'-^^P- ^^^ P^^^^ ^^^ ^^ 

Teaching, his charge the guiding of the vessel, 

with its precious cargo of passengers 

and freight; the teacher has the responsibihty of 

guiding a human soul to its haven. It is a great 

privilege to be a teacher, as well as a most difficult 

task. Still, we must remember that Jesus was a 

teacher and that he commanded His people to teach 

after He was gone. 

Before beginning, the teacher should have a good 
working knowledge of the Bible. This doesn't 
mean the lesson for next Sunday, but the entire 
Book. The teacher should have tact and patience, 
should know something of how tO' handle children, 
and should endeavor to make Sunday-school inter- 
esting. Above all, the teacher should have a hanker- 
ing to save souls. He or she should be kind, good- 
tempered, pious, and winning. Kindness often 
quells an unruly boy much more rapidly than cross 
words and humiliation. An effort should be made 
to study the individual minds of the pupils and to 
fit the treatment tO' each particular case. 

The teacher should constantly be striving to in- 
crease his or her teaching capacity. This can be 
done by study oi the Bible and with the aid of one 
or more of the many teacher's helps that are issued, 
and which cost very little. The pastor should aid 
in this work of increasing the teacher's eflficiency. 
There should be a weekly meeting of the teaching 
staff, and the lesson should be gone over carefully, 
the pastor giving those present the benefit of his 
superior knowledge in getting at the thoughts in 
the lesson and explaining them. This teachers' 
meeting can also be used as a sort of a council for 
the consideration of plans for the betterment of the 



186 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

school. It will be found to be very useful and 
soon grow to be indispensable. 

Teaching is an art, and all are not capable of 
mastering it. But, whether mastered or not, the 
teacher can do a great deal of good, if the trial only 
be made. 

In the first place, teach the lesson. Do not go 
wandering off into a lecture or something else. 
Find the great, central truth in the lesson and talk 
about it. Put life into it and try to make it simple 
and practical. Don't always preach to the pupil. 
Ask questions. Better still, try to make the pupil 
ask questions. Don't pick out the brightest boy or 
girl in the class and confine your questions to- him or 
her alone. Get after the dull boy and try tO' make 
him learn. Make him think he is learning, as a 
start. If you ask him where Christ was born and 
he happens to say ^^Bethlehem," compliment him. 
But if he says ^'Jerusalem,'' do not get cross and 
call him stupid. Say to him : **Quite near Jerusa- 
lem, Sammy; a little town quite near Jerusalem 
called — '' Some other boy will cry out ''Bethle- 
hem,'' and Sammy will think that he helped the 
other fellow to give the right answer. 

Do not forget the main purpose of the Sunday- 
school — the salvation of souls. The teaching of the 
Bible and the training of the child in church work 
and in churchly things lead to this end, and it never 
should be forgotten by the teacher. In this re- 
spect the teacher's example is all-important. We 
often teach more by what we are and what we do 
than by what we say. Let the teacher act the Chris- 
tian life and do the Christian thing. Let the teacher 
take part in the general exercises of the school and 
set a good example to the pupil. 

Don't get discouraged. Fight the good fight and 



^ A Sunday-School 187 

fight it all the time. Go' over each Sunday's work 
at home and see where you made your mistake, and 
remedy it next Sunday. Plan next Sunday's work 
at the same time. And above all, pray for help and 
guidance. 

Watch over your pupils. Invite their confidences 
and get them to look to you for sympathy and ad- 
vice. Find out their birthdays, and when they 
come around write the child a little note of con- 
gratulation. The writer remembers very well his 
first Sunday-school teacher and the way he won 
hearts by his kindness and sympathy, and the warm 
and friendly birthday greetings he sent. After long 
years the memory of this sainted man and his meth- 
ods is most tender and loving. 

It is most difficult to formulate an order 
Q^ of exercises that will meet the needs of 

Exercises. all Sunday-schools. Without a doubt 
the question must be solved on the basis 
of the individual tastes, ideas, and methods of the 
superintendent or the pastor, as w^ell as the char- 
acter of the school and the time at the disposal of 
the session. 

The school should not continue at work for more 
than an hour and a half. Some schools find , two 
hours insufficient time, but the session is too long 
and gets tiresome to the average pupil — which is 
only another way of saying that he or she will stay 
away or go somewhere else. The effort should be 
made to have something going on every minute of 
the session, and to have that something just as inter- 
esting as possible. The hour for opening and clos- 
ing should be rigidly observed. 

The superintendent should have a bell with which 
to call the school to order and to announce the end 
of the study period. But it is a mistake to use the 



188 The Churchmember's Guide Hh 

bell too frequently for the purpose of quieting the 
school or for the maintenance of discipline. Disci- 
pline should be preserved by the teachers, and, so 
long as this view of the situation is kept in mind, 
the bell rarely will be called upon to sound a warn- 
ing. Both teachers and pupils should be impressed 
with the fact that the Sunday-school is the place for 
religious study and not for the exchange of news 
or talk or visits. Pupils should be taught to enter 
the class as soon as they arrive in the building, 
and to stay there until they are dismissed. 

The session of the school should be divided into 
three parts — opening exercises, study and teaching 
period, and closing exercises. In the opening ex- 
ercises there should be hymns, prayer, responsive 
reading, and one or two^ other features. The study 
and teaching period should be given over tO' the 
lesson and its work entirely. The closing exercises 
should consist of hymns, review of the lesson by the 
pastor or the superintendent (with illustrations on 
the blackboard if the school uses one), reports by 
the secretary and treasurer, closing prayer and ben- 
ediction. 

About five minutes before the hour for opening 
of the school the organist should play some sort of 
a voluntary or prelude. This itself will act as a 
sort of a signal ; and the ringing of the superintend- 
ent's bell soon will become a mere matter of form, 
so far as the actual securing of order is concerned. 
The opening exercises should begin with a hymn, 
following which should be prayer, which should be 
made very short — certainly not longer than two 
minutes. Another hymn should follow, after which 
there should be some special feature, such as the 
showing of the pupils' Bibles by holding them aloft 
in the right hand, or the saying of some fixed school 



^ A Sunday-School 189 

motto, such as ''Our aim is to have every member 
present, every Bible ready, every lesson learned, and 
every heart willing to accept Christ," or ''Let us 
be thankful that God has given us our Sunday- 
school." Or, the superintendent may ask the pupils 
to bring in some memorized verse from the Bible, 
and at this stage of the exercises ask such as have 
done so to repeat the memorized verse. This, how- 
ever, is useful only in a small school. In large 
schools, each class can have a verse and repeat it in 
unison. 

After these special exercises it is well to have the 
roll call, the teacher answering as the name or num- 
ber of the class is called: "Teacher and five (or 
whatever the number may be) pupils present." If 
all the Bibles are present that can be announced at 
the same time, or if there are any pupils sick the 
prayers of the school can be asked. 

Next should come the reading of the lesson by 
the officers, teachers, and pupils. A good way in 
which to do this is for the superintendent tO' read 
the title of the lesson, give its location in the Bible, 
and read the first verse, the teachers and pupils read- 
ing the next, the superintendent the next, and so on 
responsively until the end. After this is finished the 
entire school should repeat the golden text for the 
day. Having the golden text at this time will re- 
veal just how many of the pupils have learned it and 
is much better than to have it after the lesson study. 

After this should come such announcements as the 
superintendent may wish to make. Then should 
follow a short prayer or a few sentence prayers from 
the teachers. A hymn, followed by a single tap of 
the bell, should end the opening exercises. 

The period of teaching and study should not last 
more than thirty minutes. During it no person 



190 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

should be pennitted to enter a class save the treas- 
urer, for the purpose of taking up the offering and 
handing to the teacher such cards, leaflets, or papers 
as are given to the children. The first thing done 
during the study period should be the handing to 
the teacher by the pupils of their offering. It should 
be placed in an envelope and marked with the class 
number or name, sO' that when the treasurer comes 
around it can be handed to him, without interrupting 
the work of the class. Once the lesson study is 
begun nothing sho'uld be permitted tO' interfere with 
it. This should be observed as a fixed rule, and nev- 
er altered. 

At the expiration of thirty minutes one tap of 
the bell by the superintendent should announce the 
beginning of the closing exercises. First, a hymn 
should be sung, and then the reports O'f the secre- 
tary and treasurer heard. The attendance (with 
comparative figures for the previous year) should 
be a part of this. The banner classes then should 
be announced. The same rule should be followed 
in the report of the treasurer. Following this the 
pastor should offer a short prayer, giving thanks for 
the offering and asking God's mercy for the sick 
and absent. This prayer never should be omitted, 
no matter what the pressure for time. 

It is wise to follow, at this point, with the review 
of the lesson by the pastor or the superintendent. 
The use of the blackboard tO' illustrate the talk is 
earnestly recommended. The pastor or speaker al- 
ways should keep in mind the evangelistic side of 
Christianity in this address. The closing hymn 
should follow, and then the repeating oi some cho- 
sen and memorized verse of Scripture, or a watch- 
word, such as "Remember what the Master has 
taught," or 'Tor our Lord and Master." These 



^ A Sunday-School 191 

watchwords can be changed monthly or quarterly. 
In conjunction with the use of the motto in the 
opening exercises they will catch the interest of 
the children and act as a sort of a bond of union 
among them. Many schools have found them al- 
most invaluable. After this, the cards, leaflets, or 
papers that the school gives to the pupils may be 
given out by the teachers, but the pupils should be 
disciplined into receiving them without noise. The 
benediction should end the session, and the children 
should be taught to pass out without noise or rush. 
Nothing is so unseemly on the part of a Sunday- 
school as the wild rush of a lot of boys and girls 
toward the door as soon as the benediction has been 
pronounced. Respect for the house of God never 
should be lost. 

For the benefit of such as desire two model pro- 
grams are here set down: 

No. I. 

Organ voluntary. 

Bell-tap for opening. 

Opening hymn. 

Two-minute prayer by superintendent or pastor. 

Hymn. 

Roll call and showing of Bibles. 

Repeating of memorized verse or verses by pupils or 

class. 
Responsive reading of the lesson. 
Repeating of the golden text by the entire school. 
Announcements. 
Short prayer by a teacher. 
Thirty minute period of teaching and study. 
Bell-tap for closing. 
Hymn. 

Reports of secretary and treasurer. 
Prayer of thanks and intercession. 
Review of the lesson. 
Closing hymn or doxology. 
Distribution of papers, or cards, 
Benediction, 



192 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

No. 2. 
Organ voluntary. 
Bell-tap for opening. 
Opening hymn. 
Roll call. 

Repeating of school motto. 
Responsive reading of the lesson. 
Repeating of the golden text. 
Hymn. 

Sentence prayers by the teachers. 
Thirty minute study period. 
Bell-tap for closing. 
Hymn. 

Reports of secretary and treasurer. 
Prayer of thanks and intercession. 
Review of the lesson. 
Closing hymn or doxology. 
Repeating of school watchword. 
Distribution of papers, etc. 
Benediction. 

The greatest efforts should be put forth by the 
pastor, the superintendent, and the teachers to estab- 
Hsh a strong bond of union among the members of 
the school. The pupils should be taught that the 
church is their church home, and they should have 
as much pride in it and love for it as for their own 
homes. The strongest Sunday-school that the 
v^riter has seen w^as one that had a school motto 
and a school w^atchvi^ord, a school salute, and a 
school messenger service for the looking up of delin- 
quent or absent pupils. The members all were in- 
terested and kept so. They studied hard and were 
attentive. They loved their teachers and they 
loved the school. Twice a year they had what they 
called Salvation Day. It was a day on which they 
made a public profession of faith and entered the 
church, after going through the proper forms. The 
various societies and organizations w^ere recruited 
regularly from the Sunday-school and the young 
people's department of the church was thriving and 



^ A Sunday-School 193 

energetic. That school has sent more young men 
to the theological seminary than any three other 
churches of the denomination in the city wherein it 
is located. 

Too much stress cannot be laid upon this inter- 
esting of the pupils. Pastor, superintendent, and 
teachers are too much inclined to^ teach the lesson, 
and sing, and have prayer, and let other things go, 
thinking their duty done. To run a Sunday-school 
in the right way there must be work, more work, 
and still more work. Work is never done. But 
such a method will show results and great ones, 
and the reward of it will be reaped in the salvation 
of many souls. To' make a success of anything the 
persons working for it must keep everlastingly busy. 
There must be sacrifices and labor; nothing worth 
having ever was won without sacrifices and labor. 

Before closing this discussion of the 

The School 011111 ^ 1 

and the bunday-school problem a few words 
Library. on the question of Sunday-school libra- 
ries may be in order. It is the earnest 
belief of the writer that every Sunday-school should 
have a collection of books for circulation among the 
children. This belief is shared by many persons in- 
terested in church w^ork, in Sunday-schools, and in 
work among the young folks. 

There are many reasons in support of it. Chief 
among them are the educational advantages to be 
derived from books and the fact that if the mind 
of the child can be started aright in the matter of 
reading it is not likely to stray later on. Very 
many poor children never would get a book to read 
if some one did not put it into their hands, and very 
many excellent educations would not have been 
gained if it had not been for that first book. And 
very many educations come only from books. If 
13 



194 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

the church can start a boy to reading and raise up 
in him a desire for knowledge and mental better- 
ment it will have done something toward the eleva- 
tion of mankind — which assuredly is a Christian 
duty. 

The only objection that can be raised tO' the 
Sunday-school is purely one of finances. It is 
urged that the money spent upon the library can be 
put to better use in other ways. The argument is 
a fine one if the church is just on the verge of 
financial collapse, if it is only beginning its Sunday 
school or putting in its equipment, or if it is intended 
to spend a large sum at one time on books. Wealthy 
churches can afford to stock up with a large library, 
but the majority of churches cannot. Nor is a 
large library necessary unless the school is a very 
large one. 

Small country churches (and small city ones, too) 
can get together a library by small, well-selected 
purchases without feeling the strain of paying out 
the money in a very great degree. Part of the Sun- 
day school offering can be laid aside for the pur- 
chase of books, and thus the pupils can be made to 
take a personal interest in the creation of the library. 
Two or three can be purchased at a time, if the fund 
will not permit a greater outlay. An excellent plan 
is that known as the unit system. This is a method 
of buying in lots of ten books, each lot costing 
between $io and $15. The books are all well- 
selected ones, chosen by an expert particularly for 
the needs and the minds of Sunday-school boys 
and girls. 

The first unit can be used as rewards for pupils 
for attendance or well-prepared lessons, the child 
being permitted to read one of the books on the rec- 
ommendation of the teacher, and the honor being 



A Sunday-School 195 



announced in the school. As fast as new units are 
added the system can be extended until all the pupils 
can be supplied with a book. One of the teachers 
or some other person should be chosen to act as 
librarian. 

For the benefit of such as care to go more deeply 
into this matter of a Sunday-school library the fol- 
lowing list of good books is appended, as a sort of a 
nest-egg for a larger collection : 

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. 

Uncle Remus : His Songs and Sayings, by Joel Chandler 
Harris. 

Old Testament Stories (Modern Reader's Bible Series). 

New Testament Stories (Modern Reader's Bible Series). 

Lives of Girls Who Became Famous, by Sarah K. Bolton. 

Lives of Poor Boys Who Became Famous, by Sarah K. 
Bolton. 

Little Men, by Louisa M. Alcott. 

Little Women, by Louisa M. Alcott. 

Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell. 

The Swiss Family Robinson, by J. D. Wyss. 

The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. 

Stories Mother Nature Told Her Children, by Jane An- 
drews. 

An Old-Fashioned Girl, by Louisa M. Alcott. 

Prince and Pauper, by Mark Twain. 

What a Girl Can Make and Do, by L. and A. B. Beard. 

What To Do and How To Do It, by L. and A. B. Beard. 

Captains Courageous, by Rudyard Kipling. 

Tales from Shakespeare, by Charles and Mary Lamb. 

Little Lord Fauntleroy, by F. H. Burnett. 

Strange Stories from History, by G. C. Eggleston. 

Book of Golden Deeds, by C. D. Yonge. 

The Life of Christ, by F. W. Farrar. 

Two Little Confederates, by Thomas Nelson Page. 

To Girls, by Heloise Hersey. 

Uncle Sam's Secrets, by A. P. Austin. 

And now a few last words regarding the Sunday- 
school. Let not the church think the task of keep- 
ing up the school too great ; let not the minister think 
other fields of labor likely to give a greater harvest; 
let not the superintendent relax his vigilance for the 



196 The Churchmember's Guide Hh 

benefit of his charge ; let not the teacher become dis- 
couraged at what may seem to be insufficient result 
for the amount of time and words used in teaching 
the lesson. 

All these things are likely to arise in the minds of 
those connected with Sunday-school work; but they 
must be cast out instantly. For the sake of the king- 
dom, whatever the obstacles, the Sunday-school must 
be kept up, and the best efiforts and energies of the 
church and its people given to it. Sometimes we 
think we see no reward for our labors; but we are 
blind, for then we cannot see the things God has 
reserved for His good and faithful servants inside 
the gates of heaven. 



^ 



PART III, 



INFORMATION FOR CHURCHMEMBERS 



IVho is a wise man and endued zvith k^towledge 

among you P 

— James iii. 13. 



INFORMATION FOR CHURCH- 
MEMBERS 



The average churchmember is ex- 

Churchmembers .... ,. . . 

Should be ceedmgly ignorant of many thnigs 

Well-informed. upon which he or she should be 

well-informed. The reason for this 

is hard to find. The churchmember hears a great deal 

of information preached Sunday after Sunday. From 

this source alone, if from no- other, much knowledge 

should be stored away. But the minister who is 

questioned on the subject usually will say that his 

people do not seem tO' have learned much from his 

discourses ; or that, at least, they do not show it. 

Ask the average churchmember what the expres- 
sion **church militant'' means and the prospect of 
getting a correct answer is a small one. And yet 
this phrase is heard pretty nearly every Sunday in 
church. Ask the average churchmember how 
churches are regarded by the law and what priv- 
ileges they have under it, and nine out of ten can- 
not tell you. Ask another if he knows anything 
about the history of Christianity, or who' wrote the 
books of the Bible, or if he knows enough about 
parliamentary law to preside at a church business 
meeting or to run a church society, or how the mar- 
riage ceremony is performed, or how to consign a 
dead brother to the grave, or how tO' ordain a dea- 
con, and he doubtless would tell you that he knows 
none of these things. 

And yet every one of them should be familiar to 
the member of church. If a man gets his living by 

(199) 



200 The Churchmember*s Guide ^ 

working a farm it is necessary for him to have a 
knowledge of farming. If he raises cotton he must 
know how to do it. It is the same with all occupa- 
tions. Now the Christian life is just as much of a 
business as any one of these. Besides, it is the 
Christian life here on earth that is preparing the 
churchmember for the life to come. 

Why not, then, know sufficient about it to do 
more and better work for the Master? Do not be 
like the man in the parable that hid his talent. When 
God called you into His Church he meant you to do 
something. The more you know the more you can 
do^ ; the more you do the greater your reward. 

And so it is with the idea of helping church- 
members to use their talents that this section of The 
Churchmember's Guide is written. In it will be 
found a large amount of information upon a variety 
of topics, each one of which, it is hoped, will be 
helpful to the reader and make him a more useful 
member of Christ's kingdom on earth. 

* * * 



A SHORT HISTORY OF CHRIS- 
TIANITY 



Before looking into the history of Chris- 
—. , tianity and tracing- its course from the 
Periods. time of Christ to the present it will be 

an aid to an understanding of the sub- 
ject to divide the time into certain definite periods. 
They are, roughly : 

Period i — The beginnings of Christianity, or the apos- 
tolic age : from the death of Christ to the year lOO. 

Period 2 — The progress of Christianity: from the year 
100 to the conversion of the emperor Constantine, in 
the year 313. 

Period 3 — The rise of the Papacy: from the year 313 
to the coronation of the emperor Charlemagne in the 
year 800. 

Period 4 — The full sway of the Papacy from the year 
800 to the end of the Crusades in the year 1295. 

Period 5 — The decline of the Papacy: from the year 
1295 to the beginning of the Reformation under Mar- 
tin Luther in the year 1517. 

Period 6 — The rise and spread of the Protestant faiths : 
from the year 1517 to the present time. 

These periods all can be sub-divided into other 
periods, but for the purpose of this short history of 
Christianity they are quite sufficient to show the 
different steps in the progress of the faith. 

God, in carrying out His loving plan 
at Birth ^ ^^^ ^^^ redemption of mankind, had 

of Christ. arranged everything so that at the 

time when His Son, our Lord and 
Master, was born all conditions were ripe for His 
labor and for the redeeming sacrifice He was to 
make. The civilized nations of the world were 

(201) 



202 The Churchmember's Guide 4^ 

v. 

combined into one vast empire, with the seat of its 
government at Rome. From the time of the first 
man, the whole trend of human events had been 
centering toward this one point. There had been 
vast civiHzations before that of Rome, but Rome's 
was the crowning-point of them all. The empires 
of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, and Greece 
had arisen, come to their height, and had fallen. 
Rome stood proudly on their combined ruins. From 
each she had taken territory, or treasure, or culture, 
or all, or whatever they had that was worth having. 
What there was left to have or to conquer was 
either too far away or was not worth having. 

The religion of these conquered nations was fall- 
ing into decay. The masses of the people had little 
or nothing in the way of a faith. They had found 
that their stone, and wood, and brass gods had not 
been able to save them in battle against the Romans, 
and practically had given up these gods when they 
gave up their liberty. Rome had a pagan worship 
of gods and goddesses of her own, it is true, but 
it meant really nothing to the Romans and never 
thoro*ughly commended itself tO' the growing culture 
and mental development of mankind. The higher 
and more learned classes worshiped not at all and 
gave such allegiance as they saw fit to one or the 
other of a set of systems of thought called philos- 
ophies. Of these there were many — Stoics, Epicu- 
reans, Cynics, Platonists, etc. The common people 
were steeped in superstitions that had no real reli- 
gious significance. There was nothing that prom- 
ised anything good in the after life, and nothing 
that could appeal to man's innate desire for some- 
thing better than himself. 

The result of this state of irreligion and confusion 
was a condition of great immorality and vice on the 



^ A Short History of Christianity 203 

part of the higher grades of society and despair on 
the part of the lower grades. Men and women 
were shamelessly bad, and the whole Roman system 
— which meant the civilized world — was calculated 
to do nothing but make them worse. Yet deep 
down in the hearts of the people there w^ere the 
wish and the hope for a faith that stood for some- 
thing after death. And so Christ came to satisfy 
that desire. 

The Jews, God's chosen people, had the first chance 
to accept Him. He was of their race, born of the 
line of David and prophesied from centuries back in 
the past. But the Jews were not looking for a 
Saviour of the kind that God intended to send. For 
their sins they had been punished by the loss of 
their identity as a nation, by being made subject 
first to one conqueror and then the other, and by 
being dispersed over the known world. In their 
foolish pride they expected a Messiah who w^ould 
conquer all nations with the sword and reunite the 
race as the lords of the earth — a great general, a 
great fighting man, who would set them free and 
put his foot on the neck of their conquerors. They 
wanted nothing to do w^ith a Saviour who would 
subdue mankind through love. And so, when He 
came, they crucified Him. 

But all this was worked out by God's 

'71l6 A.SQ 

of the providence. Christ founded His Church 
Apostles, and at His death left it to His disciples 
to carry on and spread throughout all 
nations. And God, knowing that these men could 
not do this great work alone, gave them His aid. 
Part of this aid was tO' break up the Roman Empire 
into a whole host of smaller independent nations. 
Rome was at the height of her glory when Christ 
was crucified; only a few hundred years later she 



204 The Ciiurchmember's Guide ^ 

had dwindled into a little strip of territory not one- 
twentieth the size of what she had been. 

Christianity spread because it was God's will that 
it should do so, and because He raised up men to 
do the work for Him. Such men were the mighty 
Paul, the greatest of the apostles; Peter, who denied 
Him and yet was crucified head downward for Him ; 
James, Jesus' own brother; John, whom Jesus loved 
so much, and who gave the Bible the book of Rev- 
elation. Their noble examples and their vast labors 
after Christ's death carried on the Church. 

They had an enormous work to do, but they had 
the tools with which to do it. In the first place, 
they had known Jesus Himself, and as His apostles 
He had given them certain powers. Besides, they 
were offering a practical, unselfish religion that enno- 
bled all who accepted it. Men and women soon 
came to- see these facts. Persecution only made the 
faith stronger. The whole heathen world, from em- 
peror to slave, expressed astonishment at the courage 
and fortitude with which Christian men, women, 
and children met terrible deaths for the sake of their 
God. This had a wonderful effect. For every 
Christian that was put to death, two others were 
converted by the martyr's example. 

By the time the year lOO came around Chris- 
tianity was on a sound footing, but the apostles all 
had died and the work of spreading the faith was 
left to their successors. In those years such a vast 
amount of work had been done that it seems strange 
that nowadays Christians cannot do more. It must 
not be forgotten that these early Christians did not 
have the Bible as we have it now. They had only 
written copies of the sacred writings and even these 
were few and far between. Many churches had to 
depend upon the memories of men who had only 



^ A Short History of Christianity 205 

heard them read and had never read them them- 
selves. How much better off are v^e who can buy 
the printed Bible at so small a cost? And, besides, 
they had to sift out the inspired works from a whole 
host of others that were not inspired ; and so it was 
not until three centuries after Christ died that any- 
thing like the accepted Bible was obtainable by the 
ordinary members of the Church. 

Up to the year lOO the religion of Christ 
of the ^^'^^ engaged in planting itself. This was 
Church. done by the apostles and their co-workers. 
x\fter them came a great band of church 
fathers to whom, in the wisdom of God, was com- 
mitted the laying down of much of the Church's 
doctrine and the progress of the kingdom. The 
era of persecution had not yet ceased, but its end 
was drawing nigh. Christianity had spread grad- 
ually and with this spread had come a decline in 
Rome's power and the vast empire had begun to fall 
apart. The pagans made some last desperate efforts 
to stamp out the faith, but at last the Roman Em- 
peror himself was converted. This man was Con- 
stantine. His conversion took place in the year 
313. From that date onward the religion of Christ 
was the chief faith in the world. 

Still falling apart, the Roman Empire was divided 
into two empires, one with its capital at the place 
now called Constantinople and called the Eastern 
Empire, and the other with its capital at Rome and 
called the Western Empire. Naturally there were 
two great churches — one in each capital. From 
that at Rome have come the Roman Catholic denom- 
ination and all the Protestant denominations of the 
present day. From the other have come the present 
Greek and Russian churches and one or two other 
smaller denominations. 



206 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

The greatest progress was made in the West, 
where the bishops of Rome built up a tremendous 
power. They had a vast priesthood and made them- 
selves so useful to the emperors that gradually they 
became greater than the emperors themselves. In 
the meantime vast missionary enterprises had gone 
on. The faith of Christ had been taken to the huge 
heathen hordes that lived on the outskirts of the 
empire. This had gone so far in the reign of Con- 
stantine that at a church council held at Aries, in 
what is now France, there were present priests from 
an independent church in the British Isles. 

But the supremacy of Rome as the center 

The Rise r ^ r^ t- • 1 

of the ^^ ^^ Roman Empire was about to end. 
Papacy. In its place Rome was to assume suprem- 
acy as the center of a religious empire 
equally as vast. The dominions of the emperor 
were overrun by huge armies of barbarians from 
Northern and Eastern Europe and at last the West- 
ern Roman Empire was broken up. But the bishops 
of Rome, who now began to call themselves popes, 
weathered the storm, and managed to hold their 
own in Rome, finally bringing the barbarians under 
a certain amount of control. Western Europe be- 
came the seat of governing power. At last, between 
pope and prince the empire was united again under 
a great French king named Charlemagne (pro- 
nounced Shar-le-man), which means Charles the 
Great. 

In the East vast changes occurred, almost sweep- 
ing away the church. In Arabia a new religion 
had arisen, led by a fanatic named Mohammed. 
This was about the year 622. Mohammed's faith 
was a cruel and bloodthirsty one, but it spread with 
great rapidity. Soon great hordes of Mohammed- 
ans overran the Holy Land, Asia Minor, where 



^ A Short History of Christianity 207 

the great apostles had worked^ and No-rthern Africa, 
long the seat of highest learning in the early 
Church. The Mohammedans even got into Spain 
and were not driven out for many years. To this 
day they hold their ground in Turkey, in the other 
end of Europe, causing Christianity much sorrow, 
pain, and trouble. 

In the year 800 Charlemagne ascended the throne 
as the head of the reunited Western Roman Empire 
and his long reign was a great one indeed. Wher- 
ever his conquering armies went in Central and 
Northern Europe the Church went with them and 
Christianity was greatly extended. But when Char- 
lemagne died the empire almost became disrupted 
again, his heirs fighting over the division of it. 
But some good had been done by the spread of the 
gospel. 

During all the time from the conversion 
of the ^^ Constantine to the reign of Charle- 

Papacy. magne the bishops of Rome had been 

greatly increasing their power. By the 
time Charlemagne died the popes had built up such 
a rule that they were all-powerful. After his death 
they made kings and princes and deposed them at 
will. For almost five hundred years they ran things 
in their own way. They forgot the teachings of 
Christ in their mad desire for power. Customs and 
usages became common iri The Roman Catholic 
church that were as bad as the things the heathens 
did in the times before Christ. But all this did not 
come about without much trouble, dissension, and 
bloodshed. The Roman priesthood got to fighting 
within itself over the leadership and for a time there 
were two popes. 

Finally one of them conceived an idea for the 
building up of his position and the defeat of the 



208 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

other by calling together all of Christendom for a 
war on the Mohammedans. These people were in 
complete possession of the Holy Land, the sacred 
city of Jerusalem, and the Holy Sepulcher. The 
Pope, Urban H., sent word to all the kings and 
princes and nobles in Europe ordering a crusade or 
holy war on the Mohammedans. He appealed to 
every passion of the human heart. Those who- went 
to the war as penitents were promised complete for- 
giveness of all sin ; those who were killed were to be 
eternally blessed. The princes and nobles went ex- 
pecting to carve o-ut kingdoms for themselves, and 
even criminals who decided to- gO' the law was un- 
able to punish for their misdeeds. 

Urban's plan was a good thing for him and the 
priesthood but for no one else. Europe sent a vast 
army to the Holy Land, and the Mohammedans, or 
Saracens, as they were called, were driven out of 
Jerusalem in the year 1099. But it was only for a 
short time, for the Saracens took the city again. 
Urban's successors found the crusades to be good 
things for the maintenance of their power, for the 
punishment of their enemies, and for getting money. 
They lasted, off and on, for about two hundred 
years, but, after they closed, Christendom was little 
nearer winning back the Holy Land than when they 
began, although many thousands of men had been 
killed and enormous sums of money spent. God 
would not prosper a good work begun for such 
base uses. 

About the end of the thirteenth century, 
of the ^^ ^^^ y^^^ 1300, set in the decline of the 
Papacy, power of the popes, but it was two hun- 
dred years before any real evidence of this 
decline was seen. The powers that brought the 
change were slow in gathering, but when all things 



^ A Short History of Christianity 209 

were ready the revolt swept over Europe like a river 
in flood. The popes could no more stop it than 
they could command the river to get back within its 
banks and enforce the order. As a result of it was 
the birth of the Protestant faith. From this came 
the foundation of free churches and free states, two 
blessings for which mankind should continually 
thank and praise God. 

At the end of the crusades The Roman Catholic 
church dominated the entire known world. The 
power of the popes was supreme. But all they 
cared about were money and dominion. The mass 
of the people was kept in ignorance and supersti- 
tion. Learning, except for the priest and such as 
were connected with the church, was frowned down. 
Very many nobles and princes could barely read 
and write their own names. It can be imagined 
from this what was the condition of the middle and 
lower classes. But gradually there rose up opposi- 
tion to this state of affairs. God, who' had stepped 
in at the time O'f the birth of Christ and destroyed 
the Roman Empire, again took a hand and over- 
threw its despotic successor. Men began tO' think, 
read, learn, and act for themselves, instead of letting 
the priests do these things for them. Then a period 
known as the Renaissance (pronounced Ren-na- 
sance), set in, between the years 1400 and 1500. 
The word means revival or new birth, and indicates 
the new birth or revival of learning which came 
about. It was fatal to the supremacy of the Roman 
church. 

God's providence also was seen in another way 
— the discovery of the continent of North and 
South America, the New World, as it was called. 
This was taken by the Romanists as the occasion 
and opportunity for the spread of their church to 
H 



210 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

the newly-discovered lands, but slowly and surely 
the rise of Protestantism beat back the forces of 
Rome and made the New World a place where man 
could choose his faith and worship it without hin- 
drance. 

The theory of Protestantism had extended back 
through the ages to the time of the apostles. In 
the days of those holy men there had been no such 
methods as those which were used by the Roman 
church, and only the misuse of authority had brought 
about such methods. Had the bishops and priests 
given more thought to righteous things and in 
spreading God's kingdom as the apostles had spread 
it a vast amount of sin, bloodshed and strife would 
have been avoided. But when men become drunk 
with power they often forget God. Roman bishops 
had crushed with great cruelty any signs of revolt 
against their tnight, and in all ages when men tried 
to break away from them and worship God simply 
they were bitterly persecuted. But now and again 
such men arose and thus the spirit of freedom was 
kept alive. 

And now freedom was to rise up and 

, ., assert itself. As the revival of learn- 

Reformation. ing Spread men began to assume new 
attitudes toward the Church of Rome 
and toward religious things in general. Particu- 
larly was this to be seen in Germany and the region 
bordering on it. Rome did not see any danger 
ahead until it was too late to prevent disaster. Aft- 
erwards she made desperate efforts to put down the 
revolt. 

The one man more than any other deserving cred- 
It for the rebellion was Martin Luther. He was a 
monk of The Roman Catholic church and had be- 
come convinced that reform was needed. So, in the 



^ A Short History of Christianity 211 

year 15 17, he broke away from the Pope and started 
what is known as the Reformation in a httle Ger- 
man town called Wittenberg. The church author- 
ities at Rome said Luther's acts were only the result 
of ''a squabble among the German monks/' but be- 
fore they took action the ^'squabble" had grown into 
a vast movement which they found they could not 
stop or even check. Luther found plenty of support. 
God's hand was aiding him and soon the revolt 
spread over almost the whole of Europe. Men be- 
gan to get new ideas regarding God, or rather old 
ideas, almost forgotten, were coming back to them. 

The Romanists tried to put down the revolt with 
persecution, but even this, so successful in the past, 
failed this time. Independent denominations started 
up in every land. Once having gained freedom and 
knowledge men and women refused to part with 
them. Thus has the spirit of Protestantism spread 
from race to race and from people to people. From 
being the only church The Roman Catholic church 
has come to be only one of a number of churches, 
enjoying no special privileges of government or of 
state support, and forced to take its chance in the 
world along with other denominations. 

The present time seems to be the golden 

Pl*6S6Ilt 

and ^S^ ^^ religious progress. At no period in 

Future. the past has there been such a vast array of 
consecrated men and women working for 
the cause of the Master. Never has there been such 
freedom of thought and worship as there is at 
this time. Never has the true missionary spirit 
been shown as now. Instead of one or two faiths 
fighting and persecuting each other there are scores 
earnestly working for the spread of the kingdom. 
There is rivalry, of co'urse, but there is no persecu- 
tion and no meting out of death to the man wha 



212 The Churchmember*s Guide ^ 

does not believe as you do, or does not attend the 
church you attend. 

What does this indicate ? If we examine history, 
especially history from the time of Christ, we find 
that great religious changes make their appearance 
at intervals of about 800 years. From the days of 
the Master to the time of Charlemagne was a pe- 
riod of 800 years. In it rose the Christian faith and 
the power of the popes was developed. In the next 
800 years the power of the popes was abused and 
finally fell, for by the year 1600 the grip of Rome 
on religion had been loosed. The next period of 
800 years will bring us to the year 2400. That 
something better than that which now exists must 
come is the only logical deduction, since something 
better has come at the end of each period in the past. 

What is it to be? No man knows; no man can 
tell. If we look back over the past 400 years 
we see vast changes on every side and in everything. 
If a man in the year 1507 had said that in the year 
1907 men would talk by means of a wire charged 
with electricity over many hundreds of miles or 
would send messages by it, or travel in a railway 
train at the rate of sixty miles an hour, or cross 
the Atlantic Ocean in six days, he would have been 
put into a madhouse or a jail. And yet these things 
have come to pass. What, then, will the year 2407 
bring? 

God alone knows, and man can but speculate and 
make guesses. If the human, finite mind could 
pierce the veil of the future man would be worse 
instead of better. God, in His wisdom, so has ar- 
ranged things that man cannot tell for a certainty 
to'-day what is going to happen to-morrow and He 
is immeasurably good to us in keeping from our 
knowledge what the year 2407 is to bring forth, 



^ A Short History of Christianity 213 

But of this we can be sure : The world is growing 
better, not worse. The Church is achieving vast 
works for the extension of the faith and the trag- 
edy that took place on Golgotha 1900 years ago is 
bearing its fruit of salvation for those who will ac- 
cept it. 

So, let us live then, that whatever may come to 
the world in the next few centuries men may be 
better and nearer to God in that time. Let us al- 
ways sing : 

Thy kingdom come, O God ! Thy rule, O Christ, begin ! 
Break with Thine iron rod the tyrannies of sin. 

We pray Thee, Lord, arise, and come in Thy great might ; 
Revive our longing eyes, which languish for Thy sight. 



* 



PARLIAMENTARY LAW SIMPLI- 
FIED 

No member of a church should be 
^^^ without knowledge as to the proper 

Importance, way in which to preside at a business 
meeting or as to what are his rights 
and the rights of others at such meetings. Paul 
said : 'Xet all things be done decently and in order." 
This good advice especially should be followed by 
Christians in the conduct of all their business as- 
semblages. Knowledge on the subject will save a 
vast amount of time, trouble, and words, and add 
dignity to the proceedings. 

Common sense has laid down a set of hard and 
fast rules for the management of bodies of men or- 
ganized into companies, societies, associations, and 
congresses, and all other meetings where things are 
done by vote, and where discussion is carried on as 
to whether or not they shall be done. These rules 
are called parliamentary law. Their object is to se- 
cure order and method in the transaction of affairs, 
to insure fairness to all persons taking part, and to 
prevent loss of time and energy. Unless given very 
close study and attention they are very difficult to 
understand. In order that the reader of this book 
may avoid this difficulty they have been condensed 
and simplified in this chapter. 

Before a number of people who wish 

^^^ to transact business together on the 

Officers. basis of majority rule can achieve 

their purpose there must be an orderly 

(214) 



^ Parliamentary Law Simplified 215 

attempt made to find out what is their will. To 
do this there has been devised what is known as 
organization. By it some person is placed in charge 
of the assembled persons to maintain order, see fair 
play, and act as a sort of spokesman. 

This person is called a president or chairman. 
There is also a p€rson to- aid in the work by keeping 
a record of the business, from one meeting to an- 
other. This person is called a secretary or clerk. 
If there is money to be handled as the property of 
the associated persons another officer is necessary — 
a treasurer. A vice chairman or vice president for 
the purpose of taking the chairman's duties when 
he is absent is a useful but not a necessary officer. 
Often the assembly has work that three or four per- 
sons or some small part of the body can do under 
the general direction of the whole body. These 
small parts are called committees. Usually they 
are appointed by the chairman on the order of the 
whole body, and sometimes they are given full pow- 
er to act as they think best. 

The following method is pursued when organiza- 
tion is begun : Some person takes the lead and calls 
the meeting to order, suggesting that a chairman be 
appointed. Some other person offers a name or 
names for the purpose of choice. The person who 
has taken the lead puts to the others the first name 
he heard and if a majority of those present are 
satisfied the person thus chosen becomes the chair- 
man. If not the choice goes on until some one is 
finally selected. The way the leader puts the ques- 
tion to the meeting is as follows: ''Mr. [or Brother] 
Blank [naming him] has been nominated for the 
office of temporary chairman. Those who favor 
the nomination say 'Aye.' " The person presiding 
should note the number of persons thus responding, 



216 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

and then say: ''AH opposed say 'No/ '' If the ay^.s 
are in the majority he should say: "The nomination 
is carried." If not, he should say: "The nomina- 
tion is not carried." 

A chairman having been chosen he takes his seat 
as the presiding officer and the meeting proceeds 
to choose a secretary. The chairman calls for nom- 
inations. If only one is made the same form is ob- 
served as in the case of the chairman. If more than 
one the persons present should write the name of 
the one they favor on a slip of paper and give it 
to some one named for the purpose of collecting the 
votes. They should be handed to the chairman, 
who should count them or give them to two others 
to count, announcing the person with the majority 
of votes to be the choice for secretary. 

Organization of this sort is often sufficient for all 
the purposes of the meeting, but when a society or 
an association starts, or when the work is to extend 
over a long period of time, permanent organizations 
are formed. This may be done by electing a new 
set of officers or by declaring the old ones perma- 
nent, and adding such others as are needed. 

When organizations are to be permanent it is 
always best to have a constitution and a set of by- 
laws. The former is a series of statements telling 
what the name and object of the organization are, 
what the officers are to be and their duties, when 
and how they are to be elected, etc. The by-laws 
should state what number of the members is to be 
a quorum or proper number of persons present for 
the purpose of transacting business, the times of 
meetings, and such other rules or order of proced- 
ure as may be thought necessary. 

All organizations should have a set order of busi- 
ness, from which they should not depart, unless un- 



4* Parliamentary Law Simplified 217 

der extraordinary circumstances and by consent of 
the whole body. The following is an excellent 
form : 

Roll call. 

Reading of the minutes of the last meeting. 

Reports of such officers as have or make reports. 

Reports of special committees. 

Reports of standing or permanent committees. 

Unfinished business. 

New business. 

Adjournment. 

In order that the reader may under- 

escrip ion g^^^^ ^^^ above order of business let 
01 a 

Meeting. US suppose that we are about to con- 

duct an ordinary meeting of a church 
society or a business meeting of a church. In the 
latter case the call of the roll may be omitted by 
reason of the great amount of time that it would 
take up. 

The meeting having come to order the chairman 
should say: 'The secretary (or clerk) will read the 
minutes of the last meeting." After the minutes 
are read he should say: 'Tf there are no objections 
the minutes will stand approved as read." If there 
are objections on account of errors the errors can 
be corrected, and the minutes then approved. 

The chairman then should say: "Has the secre- 
tary anything to report?" The secretary then 
should make such report as he has. If it is the rule 
that the chairman takes charge of all communica- 
tions and papers until they are read to the meeting, 
the secretary at this point should hand to him such 
papers, etc. Anything in the report of the secre- 
tary that necessitates action is either unfinished or 
new business and should come up under their proper 
head. The chairman then should ask: ''Has the 
treasurer anything to report?" The treasurer's re- 



218 The Churchmember's Guide Hh 

port is usually only in reference to money received 
or paid out, or the condition of the accounts. No 
action is necessary upon it, since in all first-rate or- 
ganizations the accounts of the treasurer are exam- 
ined as tO' their correctness at least once a year by 
a committee named for the purpose, and the results 
of that examination reported to the main body. 

The chairman then should say: ^'Are there any 
special committees to report?" A good presiding 
officer should keep an exact list of all his commit- 
tees and call for reports at each meeting, thus keep- 
ing the committees busy. If any special committee 
is ready to report the chairman should stand up in 
his place and deliver the report, either by word of 
mouth or in writing. Unless the matter is of great 
importance reports by word of mouth are accept- 
able, and the meeting can take action upon them 
at once, or, if there is a likelihood of debate, under 
the head of unfinished business, or under new busi- 
ness, if the matter reported involves some new ac- 
tion not contemplated in the original work of the 
committee. The final acceptance of the report of a 
special committee releases it from further work in 
the matter and with the motion to receive a report 
should be embodied a clause for the discharge of 
the committee. 

Reports made in writing should be handed to- the 
secretary and read by him standing in his place. If 
there be any suggestion for action in the report and 
the report is accepted the action should be put in 
the form of a motion and voted upon by the meet- 
ing. This is the best way to escape future difficulty, 
as the habit of accepting reports containing sugges- 
tions for action and using this acceptance as express- 
ing the will of the meeting is a bad one and likely 
to lead to trouble. 



^ Parliamentary Law Simplified 219 

The reports of a standing committee take the 
same form as those of special committees, with the 
exception that the committee is not discharged, but 
simply reports from time to time on its work. 

The committees having been disposed of the chair- 
man should say: "Is there any unfinished business?'' 
The secretary should keep a record of such business 
and here bring it up. This finished, the chairman 
should ask: 'Ts there any new business?" This 
will give the secretary the chance to read such com- 
munications as he has, and allow action to be taken 
upon them. Or, if the chairman takes charge of 
the communications, he can hand them to the sec- 
retary one by one, briefly stating their nature, each 
being taken up and disposed of in turn. If, at the 
end of this work, there be nothing further, the meet- 
ing sho-uld adjourn. 

With reference to the actual handling of 
in Their "^^^^ions and the knotty points which some- 
Order, times come up the chairman should use 
great tact and patience. Ordinarily busi- 
ness can be transacted without difficulty, but when 
disputes arise the chairman sho'uld know how to 
handle them, particularly if some other person in the 
assembly is posted in parliamentary law and is in- 
clined to take advantage of his knowledge. 

To reduce these points to a simple basis the table 
which follows has been prepared. Pretty much all 
of the kinds of extraordinary motions are set down. 
After them is a letter or letters showing what rule 
or rules refer tO' them. The rules that follow the 
table are the chief rules of parliamentary law con- 
densed so as to conform to the table. 

The following is an example of how to use them : 
Suppose some one made a motion to limit or close 
debate, and a dispute threatened to follow. The ta- 



220 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

ble shows that motions of this character are governed 
by Rules A and M. Reference to these rules show 
that such motions are not strictly debatable and the 
chairman can stop debate whenever he chooses, and 
that to become law for the meeting two-thirds of 
the meeting must vote in favor of it, unless the meet- 
ing has some special rule to the contrary. 

Table of Motions in Order of Precedence. 

Motion. Governing- Rules. 

1. Motion to fix the time to adjourn B 

2. Motion to adjourn or take unlimited 

recess A — E — F 

3. Motion to take the order of the day — 

that is, business fixed for debate or 

settlement at a certain date A — E — H — N 

4. Motion to have a matter lie on the table 

— that is, be .deferred indefinitely A — E — G 

5. Motion for the previous question A — E — M 

6. Motion to postpone a matter until a 

fixed time C 

7. Motion to commit — that is, to refer a 

matter to a committee or to send it 
back' to a committee D 

8. Motion to amend, to substitute, or to 

divide a question K 

9. Motion to postpone a matter indefinitely. D — E 

10. Motion to limit or close debate A — M 

11. Motion to extend the limit of debate.. A 

12. Motion to reconsider a debatable ques- 

tion D— E— F— I 

13. Motion to reconsider an undebatable 

question A — E — F — I 

14. Motion to make a matter a special or- 

der — that is, to take it up at a cer- 
tain time M 

15. Motion to amend the rules M 

16. Motion to suspend the rules A — E — F — M 

17. Motion to take up a question out of 

its proper order A — E 

18. Motion to take up a question from the 

table A— E— G 

19. Appeal from the decision of the chair. E — H — L 

20. The withdrawal of a motion A — E 

Any one of the first nine motions, except to amend or 



Parliamentary Law Simplified 221 

substitute are in order when a motion of a lower rank 
is pending. 

Condensed Rules. 

Rule A. Such motions are not strictly debatable, but re- 
marks may be permitted at the pleasure of the chair- 
man. 

Rule B. Such motions are not debatable if another mo- 
tion is before the assembly. 

Rule C. The chairman may permit limited debate, but 
only on the advisability of postponement. 

Rule D. Such motions open the main question to debate. 

Rule E. Such motions cannot be amended. But a mo- 
tion to adjourn can be amended when there is no 
other business before the house. 

Rule F. Such motions cannot be reconsidered, when 
once passed. 

Rule G. Such motions cannot be reconsidered, when 
once passed. 

Rule H. Such motions are in order when another has 
the floor. 

Rule I. A motion to reconsider may be moved and ac- 
cepted when another has the floor, but the business 
before the body may not be set aside for it, and it 
comes up as soon as the business under consideration 
is over. The motion can be made only by a person 
who voted on the side which carried its point. When 
called up it takes precedence of all other questions, 
except those relating to adjournment. 

Rule K. A motion to amend an amendment cannot be 
amended. 

Rule L. When an appeal from the decision of the chair 
results in a tie vote, the chair is sustained. 

Rule M. Such motions require a two-thirds vote to pass. 

Rule N. Such motions do not require to be seconded. 

General Rules. 
No motion is open for discussion until it has been stated 

by the chairman. 
The maker of a motion cannot modify or alter it after 

it has been stated by the chairman, unless by general 

consent. 
Only one reconsideration of a question or a motion is 

permitted. 
A motion to adjourn, to take from the table, or to lie 

upon the table cannot be entertained unless some other 

Hiotion has been considered in the meantime, 



222 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

When a motion for the previous question is made the 
way it should be put is : "A motion for the previous 
question has been made and seconded. Shall the main 
question be put?" This, if carried^ ends the debate. 

When appeal is made from the decision of the chair the 
way to put the question is : "Shall the decision of the 
chair be sustained as the ruling of the assembly?" De- 
bate is permissible, under the usual restrictions, the 
chair being permitted to debate. 

Enforcement of the rules with regard to speaking would 
bar a person who has spoken on a matter from speak- 
ing again until all those present have spoken that care 
to do so. 

Points of order interrupt all business until decided. The 
question is not voted upon by the assembly unless an 
appeal is taken from the decision of the chair. After 
the settlement of the point and appeal the previous; 
question is resumed at the point where it was broken, 
off. 

The use of personal remarks directed in anger against 
a member of the assembly is disorder. After repeated 
calls to order the assembly has the right to take ac- 
tion regarding the offender's punishment. 

Before closing this chapter it may not be 

and amiss to give the reader a few helps and 

Hints, hints regarding the handling of a body of 

men or women gO'verned by parliamentary 

law and the usages oi it. 

In the first place the presiding officer should per- 
mit nothing to distract his attention from the con- 
duct O'f the meeting and the business in hand. He 
should not permit persons to hold conversations with 
him and should say nothing himself but what is 
necessary for the transaction of business. He 
sho'uld maintain the dignity of his office by being 
perfectly just and equitable to all. He should see 
that perfect order is kept. He can do' this in a dig- 
nified and courteous manner, without constantly 
hammering the desk with his gavel. He should 
study parliamentary law, so that when an emer- 
gency arises he may know just exactly what to do. 



^ Parliamentary Law Simplified 223 

A)bo've all, he should keep perfectly cool and even- 
tempered. 

Members of a society or persons taking part in a 
meeting should raiiember that parliamentary law 
was devised to expedite the transaction of business 
as well as to insure fairness. The use of parliamen- 
tary law for the purpose of blocking or delaying 
business very often acts as a boomerang and injures 
the person using it more than the person against 
whom it is directed. 

Personal remarks should never be tolerated for 
an instant. No one knows where they will lead 
and they should be stopped at once. Finally, if ev- 
erybody keeps in mind the Golden Rule things will 
move along without difficulty and without friction. 



<¥ 



CHURCHES AND THE CIVIL LAW 

All men in the United States of 
Under Aimerica have absolute freedom oi 

Constitution. reHgious conscience and worship 
guaranteed to them under the provi- 
sions of the Constitution, the fundamental law of 
the nation. This guarantee was not contained in 
the Constitution as originally drafted and ratified, 
but was secured later by an amendment tO' Article 
I. O'f the document. It says : "Congress shall make 
no law respecting an establishment of religion, or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'' This acts as 
a preventive of similar legislation by the law-making 
bodies of the various States, such legislation be- 
longing to a forbidden class known as "unconstitu- 
tional acts." 

Churches are exempt from taxation in almost ev- 
ery State in the nation, coming under the head of 
institutions for the worship of God or charitable 
institutions. Some States exempt from taxation all 
church property whatever, while others place a re- 
duced tax on real estate outside of the actual church 
building, such as parsonage, parish house, school, 
etc. Other States require taxes to be paid on prop^ 
erty outside oi actual church buildings in the same 
proportion that citizens and corporations pay. 

With relation to disputes in churches, the courts 

endeavor to have the denomination itself settle the 

difficulty without recourse to civil process. This is 

in order to do away with long and involved argu- 

(224) 



^ Churches and the Civil Law 225 

ments on doctrine, which would take up a vast 
amount of time and achieve no good end. The doc- 
trine of common sense is that nO' man nor no body 
of men should go to the courts for the settlement of 
a dispute while there is the faintest possible chance 
of securing a settlement by mutual consent, or by 
the appointment of arbitrators. Moreover, a court 
is the last place in the world to which Christians 
should resort in anger. 

While the civil law grants freedom of religious 
thought and worship to all men it draws a line over 
which worship must not step with reference to or- 
der. Meetings and services that are a source of 
great disorder and threaten to become a public nui- 
sance are in danger of suppression. Several fanatic 
sects that have arisen in Northern and New England 
States have been forced to abandon their meetings 
or go where they do not disturb the peace. But 
even in such serious and special cases the civil au- 
thorities have been inclined to act with the greatest 
caution and forbearance. 

* * * 



THE DUTIES OF A CHURCH- 
MEMBER 

Being a churchmember involves 

« ., certain other things than profession 

Churchmember. of faith and being baptized and 

having yO'ur name entered upon the 
rolls of a church. If these things were all church- 
members would value their membership very lightly 
and the Church would soon gO' tO' pieces. All Chris- 
tians have certain duties tO' perform after they have 
united with a church, and they should be ever watch- 
ful that they perform them. These duties are : 

1. Duty to God. 

2. Duty to the church. 

3. Duty to the pastor. 

4. Duty to others. ' 

5. Duty to self. 

It is the duty of every Christian toward God to 
love Him and to keep His commandments, tO' fol- 
low in the steps of His Son as closely as human 
frailty and weakness will permit, and to keep in 
communication with God through the medium of 
prayer. These things are commanded and must be 
obeyed as first duties. It should not be difficult to 
love Him, considering what He has done for His 
children, and tO' show forth our gratitude for His 
blessings to us we should use our best efforts to 
keep the commandments. To live like Christ is 
harder, for what man can have the love, gentleness, 
patience, wisdom, and humility of the Redeemer? 
But we can do our best, and we can ask God, in 
(226) 



^ The Duties of a Churchmember 227 

carrying out the last of the duties to Him, tO' give 
us the grace and the strength so to Hve. 

The Christian's duty toward the church is the same 
sort of a duty he owes to his home and family. 
He should love, support, protect, and strengthen it. 
In loving it he should be regular in attendance upon 
it and its meetings. In supporting it he should give 
toward its support just as much as his means will 
permit, freely, willingly, and with joy. Money giv- 
en in any other spirit does nO' good to either the 
church or the giver. He should protect it by his 
manner of life and by maintaining the reputation of 
himself and his fellow-churchmembers as good 
Christians. He should strengthen it by getting oth- 
ers to become members. 

The Christian's duty toward his pastor is the duty 
that a soldier owes to his leader. Churchmembers 
are privates in the army commanded by God and 
His Son. The ministers O'f the church are the offi- 
cers of that army — the captains, colonels, generals, 
sergeants, according to their po-wer and devotion. 
Respect and obey your pastor just as the soldier re- 
spects and obeys his officer. Moreover, he is also 
your shepherd. You are one of God's sheep and 
to him has been given charge of you. Upon him 
rests a certain responsibility to God for you. By 
your obedience, so long as he observes a faithful 
shepherdship, you are helping in his work. Aid 
him in all the ways that you can. He needs your 
help and your sympathy, for his task is most diffi- 
cult and he does not always see the way clear to 
perform it. Don't shirk the work he gives you, 
and don't do it for the sake of hearing him com- 
mend you. Remember that, after all, the w^ork is 
not for him but for God, and that in doing it you 
only do your duty. God expects every man to do 



228 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

his duty. The Christian should not forget this for 
a single instant. 

One of the greatest and hardest of the Chris- 
tian's duties is that to others. ''Love thy neighbor 
as thyself.'' This command of Christ's contains 
the whole of the Christian's duty to those who are 
about him. If you love your neighbor as well as 
you love yourself you will want to help him. You 
will want to make him happy. You will never speak 
a cross or angry word to him. You will want to 
save his soul. You will not willingly injure or hurt 
him. The Christian who succeeds in doing his 
duty to others is a good follower of Christ. His 
memory will be held dear long after he has been 
laid in his grave and there will be a place for him 
among those that are loved by God. 

The Christian's duty to himself is to observe the 
duties that he owes to God, the church, the pastor, 
and to others. He will find in doing them his 
greatest joy and his greatest blessing. Each pass- 
ing day spent in doing them will also' be spent in 
doing his duty to himself. The Christian's life is 
one O'f perpetual sacrifice and yet each sacrifice is a 
sweet one and bears with it a reward. It is only 
the first few sacrifices that we feel sO' keenly. By 
and by we get used to making them and feel that 
we have lost some merit if we have not made them. 
Thus do we grow daily like that Great Example, 
who went to the cross as a sacrifice. What He did 
for us let us try to do-, in our little, weak, human 
way, for those who are round about us. 

''Let your light so shine before men, that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your Father 
which is in Heaven." 

This thought is a most beautiful one to the Chris- 
tian, but let us never do our good works for our own 



^ Duties of a Churchmember 229 

benefit, and for the hope of reaping a heavenly re- 
ward. Let us always remember that our good 
works come from God, that He and He alone has 
put intO' our hearts the desire tO' do' them. Let us 
give all honor, thanks, and praise to Him for thus 
using us as a means of communicating His good to 
those that are around us. 

This is the attitude that the peerless Man of Cal- 
vary took. We, w^ho are soldiers of His army, 
should take pattern from Him. 



•i- 



HOW TO WORK FOR CHRIST 

The member of church who does not 
Importance - ^ ^, . . ^. . . 

of Work work tor Christ is not a Christian. 

for Christ. This may seem to be an unwarranted 

statement; but, if a httle thought is 

given to it, it not only will be found to have plenty 

of basis but to be complete truth. 

Being a Christian does not altogether consist in 
being a church member. Membership in a church 
is only one of the requisites for being a Christian. 
The true Christian is the one that not only goes to 
church and obeys the commands of God and attends 
upon the ordinances of his faith, but who- also lives 
the Christian life, who works for the upbuilding of 
Christ's kingdom, and who' endeavors to get others 
to do the same. No matter how much we go to 
church, no matter how often we sit at the Lord's 
table, no matter how much we give, unless we work 
for the salvation of others we are not doing any- 
thing like our full duty. At the judging of our 
deeds and misdeeds, on the Last Great Day, when 
He who is to, judge us asks what we have done, the 
man who can say he has helped to save a soul will be 
rewarded above the man who can simply say that 
he has obeyed the law of God and gone to church 
regularly. 

Too many of us, alas ! care little whether we can 

say that we have helped tO' save a soul. But it 

should be the greatest effort of the churchmember 

to be able to say it, and the greatest joy as well. 

(230) 



^ How to Work for Christ 231 

The only way in which to do it is to- work. Noth- 
ing that is worth having is gained in any other way 
than by labor. With the churchmember personal 
work is the thing that counts and the thing that 
brings results, just the same as it is in the ordinary 
affairs of life. 

All the great men of the Church, in all ages, have 
been men who believed in personal work. Paul was 
one of the busiest personal workers that ever lived. 
In prison, with death staring him in the face, he 
Avent to work upon his jailer and converted him. 
John Wesley rode 250,000 miles during his life- 
time personally attending to his Master's business. 
Moody, the great evangelist, used to ask men he 
met on trains, steamboats, or the streets about their 
salvation. One man, to whom he spoke on a rail- 
road train and converted in the course of a twenty- 
mile journey, didn't know who it was that had talked 
to him until Moody had gotten off and he called out 
the window to him. "My name is Dwight L. 
Moody," yelled the evangelist, as the train pulled 
away with the astonished but safe individual. 
Moody himself was converted as the result of per- 
sonal work. For such men there will be fitting re- 
wards. 

All can do personal work — that is its greatest 
advantage. No matter how high the position of a 
man or a woman, no matter how humble their walk 
in life, they can lead others to Christ. It is said of 
President McKinley that he won the soul O'f a serv^- 
ant in the White House by talking to him about 
religion. It is well known that Lord Shaftesbury, 
the great English philanthropist, was converted by 
the personal efforts of one of the servants in the 
ho'use where he lived. 

And personal work has other advantages. It can 



232 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

be done at any time and at any place, and it will 
reach all classes. It hits the target because it is 
direct. It meets the definite need of the person to 
whom it is addressed because it appeals to him or 
to her alone. 

But personal w^ork must be done with care 
and ^^^ discretion. Otherwise the worker will 
Hints, soon get a reputation as a crank or a fanatic. 
As soon as this state oi affairs arises the 
value of the worker is lost, and he or she must be- 
gin all over again in a new way. 

In the Urst place, be careful. You are about to 
do a piece of work for God. If you were about to 
do something for yourself you would take reason- 
able care that success would result. Exercise the 
same caution doing God's work. 

Work among people of your own sex. You 
know their wants and trials and temptations better 
and you can talk to them more freely and with less 
chance of being misunderstood. 

Work among people of your ozvn age. You can 
do better work in this way. Age will be inclined 
to laugh at youth, and youth at age. 

Work among people of yomr own class. This 
will save annoyance and trouble. Not that you 
should dodge either, but that you should not lessen 
the value of your work. Still, there are exceptions 
to this rule, and you will have to be guided by your 
own judgment. 

Personal work should he done alone. A quiet, 
friendly talk with a man or a woman often will do 
more good than a score of sermons. Talking reli- 
gion to people publicly, before they have found 
Christ, is not a good thing except in church. 

Don't trust yourself to do the work; put your 
trust in God. The Spirit has power to break down 



HH How to Work for Christ 233 

the hardest heart. Ask God for his aid. He al- 
ways will give it. 

Let the person you are at work upon see the Bible, 
Don't just read the passage of Scripture and let it 
go at that. The Bible is a great weapon. Use it 
as you would a weapon. Let the other fellow or 
the other woman read the Word for himself or her- 
self. It may reach deeper into the heart than all 
your talking. 

Be gentle, kind, and courteous. If you don't you 
are not doing your duty as a Christian. Don't 
browbeat. It rouses up the other's antagonism and 
yO'U will only drive him or her further away. The 
more winning your manner and speech the deeper 
it will sink into the sinner's heart. But, at the same 
time, avoid being too^ familiar. 

Be earnest^ hut do not get angry. The task you 
set yourself requires earnestness because it is a most 
serious one, since it means the saving of a soul, 
which is greater than the saving of a life. But if 
you get angry your case is lost. Don't let yourself 
be tempted into anger. Perseverance and patience 
will win out in the end. Besides anger comes not 
fro-m the Spirit, but from the Evil One. 

Don't hurry makers. It may take you a year 
to convert some one upon whom you are working. 
But it is worth the time and the patience and the 
trouble. Some of the greatest O'f conversions were 
the work of years; not just one year. 



^ 



THINGS CHURCHMEMBERS 
SHOULD KNOW 



A Need 
for 



Quite often churchmembers find them- 
selves in sudden need of knowledge re- 
Knowledge, garding the Bible and religious things 
which they do not possess. If they are 
talking with a person outside O'f the fold they often 
feel a sense of humiliation over their lack of in- 
formation. Listening to- sermons they often hear 
a minister say things they do not quite understand, 
and hesitate to ask him to explain because they do 
not like to reveal their ignorance. 

With the view, therefore, of supplying deficien- 
cies of this character this part of The Church- 
member's Guide has been prepared. Information 
on the Bible and other things touching religion and 
the Christian life will be given. The form of ques- 
tion and answer will be used as the most simple 
means of achieving the end in view. 

What is the Bible f The Bible is a col- 
Questions - . r ^^ 111 

,, lection of 66 sacred books, written at 

on tne ' 

Bible. different times by about forty different 

men, who were inspired by God to do the 
work. It is the only source from which mankind 
can get knowledge of God, what He has done for 
the human race, and what He promises to do for 
it, and the duties of man to God. It is divided into 
two parts, called the Old and New Testaments. In 
the former there are 39 books; in the latter are 2y 
books. The Old Testament contains the revelations 
of the will of God to the Hebrews, Israelites, or 
(234) 



^ Knowledge for Churchmembers 235 

Jews before the birth of Christ. The New Testa- 
ment contains the revelations of the will of God 
to the apostles and evangelists who were Christ's 
immediate followers, or, as in the case of Paul, were 
specially called by God. 

What period of time was covered in the writing 
of the Bible f Moses, the first of the men w^hose 
works are represented, lived about 1600 years be- 
fore the birth of Christ, and the first book, Gen- 
esis, was written about the year 1550 B.C. John 
wrote Revelation about the year 95 A.D., or 1645 
years after Moses wrote Genesis. 

What is the Pentateuch? The Pentateuch (pro- 
nounced pentatuk) is composed of the first five books 
of the Old Testament. The Jews laid special stress 
upon them because they contained the law. 

What is the Apocalypse? Apocalypse is a word 
derived from a Greek w^ord meaning tO' disclose or 
to reveal, and was applied to the book written by 
John and called The Book of the Revelation, or The 
Apocalypse. 

What is the Apocrypha? Apocrypha is derived 
from a Greek wo-rd meaning the hidden or doubt- 
ful, and was applied to a number of books among 
those from which the Bible was formed, because 
their authority was doubted by some persons and ac- 
cepted by others. Fourteen such books were a part 
O'f the version of the Old Testament known as the 
Septuagint, but were not included in the writings 
recognized by the Jews. They were arranged in a 
book by themselves and when printed as a part of a 
Bible are so grouped between the Old and the New 
Testaments, as not having dogmatic authority but 
being instructive. These books are called i Esdras, 
2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, the rest of the chapters of 
the Book of Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, The 



236 The Churcnmember^s Guide H^ 

Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclesiasti- 
cus, Baruch, The Song of the Three Holy Children, 
The History of Susanna, The History of the De- 
struction of Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of 
Manasses, i Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. 

What is the number of chapters, verses, and words 
in the Bible f In the whole Bible there are 1,189 
chapters, 31,990 verses, and 766,054 words. Of 
this the Old Testament has 929 chapters, 24,043 
verses, and 585,503 words, while the New Testa- 
ment has 260 chapters, 7,947 verses, and 180,551 
words. 

Which is the longest book in the Bible f The 
Psalms. The book contains 150 chapters, 2,461 
verses, and 43,743 words. The longest book writ- 
ten by one person is Jeremiah, which contains 52 
chapters, 1,364 verses, and 42,659 words. The 
longest book in the New Testament is Acts, which 
contains 28 chapters, 1,007 verses, and 24,250 words. 

Which is the shortest book in the Bible? The 
third epistle of John. It contains i chapter, 14 
verses, and 299 words. The shortest book in the 
Old Testament is Obadiah, which contains i chap- 
ter, 21 verses, and 670 words. 

Which is the longest chapter in the Bible? The 
119th Psalm. It contains 176 verses. 

Which is the shortest chapter in the Bible? The 
117th Psalm. It contains only 2 verses and 29 
words. 

Which is the longest verse in the Bible? The 9th 
verse of the 8th chapter of Esther. It contains 90 
words and 426 letters. 

Which is the shortest verse in the Bible? The 
35th verse of the nth chapter of the gospel accord- 
ing to John. It is *'J^^^s wept" — two words and 
nine letters. 



^ Knowledge for Churchmembers 237 

Are there any other curious facts about the Bihle^ 
The word ''and" occurs 46,277 times. The word 
''Lord" occurs 1,855 times. The word "reverend" 
occurs only once, in the 8th verse of the 1 1 ith Psalm. 
The middle verse of the Bible is the 8th verse of the 
1 1 8th Psalm. The 21st verse of the 7th chapter 
of Ezra contains all the letters of the alphabet ex- 
cept the letter "j." 

Give a short history of the Bible. The Old Tes- 
tament was, of course, in existence first. It grad- 
ually grew, in the Heb'rew language, from the time 
of Moses, up tO' that of the last prophets, and was 
in use by the Jews at the time of Christ in several 
different versions. The most famous of these was 
that known as the Septuagint (pronounced septooa- 
jint). It was made in Alexandria, Egypt, about 
the year 250 B.C. The Old Testament as used in 
Protestant churches is based upon it. It w^as w^rit- 
ten in Greek from the Hebrew language. The Ro- 
man Catholics made a translation for themselves 
which is called the Vulgate, upon which the present 
Catholic Bible is based. 

The New Testament was built up gradually after 
the death of Christ, from a vast amount of writings 
left by the apostles, disciples, and the early fathers 
of the Church. After many years, and after much 
discussion, the present set of books was set aside 
as the inspired writings. This was finally done at 
a great council of God's Church held at Carthage, 
in Northern Africa, in the year 397. 

This original Bible w^as in the Greek language. 
From it and from that known as the Vulgate a num- 
ber of different translations were made. In 161 1 
appeared what is known as the Authorized Version 
or the King James Bible. This was, by far, the best 
and most scholarly edition or version that had been 



238 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

made up co that time. The men who> made it went 
over the books mo'St thoroughly and for the Protes- 
tant world the version stood for 270 years without 
a single change. Then came what is known as the 
Revised Version. The Revised New Testament 
came out in 1881 and the whole Revised Bible in 
1885, fifteen years after the work was begun. Fol- 
lowing this came an edition with somte further 
changes for the benefit of the American people ex- 
clusively. 

Who wrote the books of the Old Testament f So 
far as human research can discover the authors of 
the books of the Old Testament were : 

Genesis — unknown, but supposed to have been written part- 
ly by Moses. 

Exodus — Moses. 

Leviticus — Moses. 

Numbers — Moses. 

Deuteronomy — Moses ; but the last chapters, describing 
Moses's death were added by his successor, Joshua. 

Joshua — Joshua. 

Judges — several unknown writers. 

Ruth — unknown; possibly Samuel. 

I and 2 Samuel — compiled by Jeremiah. 

I and 2 Kings — compiled by Jeremiah. 

I and 2 Chronicles — compiled by Daniel and Ezra. 

Ezra — Daniel, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Ezra, who did the 
bulk of the work. 

Nehemiah — Nehemiah. 

Esther — unknown. 

Job — unknown. 

Psalms — some written by David; the whole compiled by 
Ezra or Simon. 

Proverbs — some written by Solomon, who compiled the 
book. 

Ecclesiastes — unknown; little warrant for belief that Sol- 
omon was the author. 

The Song of Solomon — supposedly Solomon, but may have 
been Hezekiah. 

Isaiah — Isaiah, so far as first 27 chapters; balance sup- 
posedly by some person unknown. 

Jeremiah-^Jeremiah. 

Lamentations — Jeremiah. 



^ Knowledge for Churchmembers 239 

Ezekiel — Ezekiel. 
Daniel — Daniel. 
Hosea — Hosea. 
Joel — Joel. 
Amos — Amos. 
Obadiah — Obadiah. 
Jonah — Jonah. 
Micah— Micah. 
Nahum — Nahum. 
Habakkuk — Habakkuk. 
Zephaniah — Zephaniah. 
Haggai— Haggai. 
Zechariah — Zechariah. 
Malachi— Malachi. 

Who wrote the books of the New Testament? 
Books and authors of the New Testament, as gen- 
erally accepted, follow : 

Matthew — Matthew, somewhere in Palestine. 

Mark — Mark, at Rome, under the direction of Peter. 

Luke — Luke, at Csesarea, when Paul was there, and doubt- 
less under his direction. 

John — John, at Ephesus. 

Acts — Luke; place not definitely known. 

Romans — Paul, at Corinth. 

I and 2 Corinthians — Paul, at Ephesus and Philippi re- 
spectively. 

Galatians — Paul, at Ephesus. 

Ephesians — Paul, at Rome. 

Philippians — Paul, at Rome. 

Colossians — Paul, at Rome. 

I and 2 Thessalonians — Paul, at Corinth. 

I and 2 Timothy — Paul, from Macedonia and Rome re- 
spectively. 

Titus — Paul, from Ephesus. 

Philemon — Paul, from Rome. 

Hebrews — Paul, from Corinth. 

James — James, brother of the Lord. 

I and 2 Peter — Peter, probably from Babylon. 

I and 2 and 3 John — John, probably from Ephesus. 

Jude — Judas. 

Revelation — John, in the isle of Patmos. 

What is the difference between natural 
on religion and revealed religion? Natural 

Religion, religion is that which is based upon the 

evidences of a God and His qualities as 



240 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

seen in nature and natural things. Revealed reli- 
gion is that which is based upon God's revelations to 
man, as seen in the Old and New Testaments and in 
the direct communication of God's will tO' mankind. 
Christianity partakes of both kinds, but more par- 
ticularly revealed religion. 

Whai is meant by the expression ''church mili- 
tantf The church militant means the whole body 
of Christian believers on earth, which is engaged 
in constant warfare against the forces of evil, the 
word ^'militant'' meaning fighting, engaged in war- 
fare. This particularly distinguishes it from the 
church triumphant, which is that portion of God's 
Church which has triumphed here on earth and 
gone on to heaven. 

What did Paul mean in 2 Corinthians xii, 1, re- 
garding a thorn in his Hesh? This has been an ob- 
ject O'f much research and dispute among theolo- 
gians and Bible students-, but nO' one ever has been 
able to give a satisfactory answer. It has been tak- 
en to mean hastiness of temper, intolerance oi those 
too ignorant or too wedded to pagan religion to 
understand or care for Paul's preaching, the fact 
that Paul himself was not one of the twelve disci- 
ples and that he regretted it, remorse for the stoning 
of Stephen, in which he took part, and half a dozen 
other ^'explanations" that do not explain. The na- 
ture of the thorn doubtless will ever remain a mys- 
tery. 

What was the origin of the Apostles' 
General Creed? The statement of faith known 

Questions, as the Apostles' Creed is of very great 
antiquity, but there is nothing to show 
that it was laid down by any of the apostles, or that 
they used it in anything like its present verbal form. 
Essentially, it embodies the teachings of the apos- 



^ Knowledge for Churchmembers 241 

ties, however. Its authorship has been ascribed to 
Saint Augustine, born A.D. 354, died A.D. 430, 
but this is doubtful. With the exception of one or 
two words the creed in its present shape was known 
to the churches oi Western Europe about the year 
A,.D. 450. 

Who were the brothers of Jesus? In Matthew 
xiii. 35, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas are men- 
tioned as the brothers of Jesus, and in the follo-w-^ 
ing verse sisters are also mentioned. There always 
has been a great amount of discussio-n about the 
matter. The Roman Catholics deny that Jesus had 
any brothers or sisters; but the Protestant writers 
and commentators have held to the other view, pre- 
ferring to take Matthew literally. 

How did the term ^'Christian' originate? The 
word means ''follower of Christ" and was first ap- 
plied to the disciples of O'ur Lord soon after the 
conversion of Paul, and seems to have had its origin 
at Antioch. It seems to have been used by tho-se 
who devised it as a term of reproach, as the disci- 
ples did not give it to themselves. The inhabitants 
of Antioch were very prone to give nicknames to 
persons and things. But it was adopted as a badge 
of honor and has continued to be used. 

When was Christmas first observed? It is to be 
imagined that the early Church desired, just as 
does the Church of this day, to do honor to- the day 
on which the Master was born, but just when the 
custom originated is not known. The first records 
of such observance *are to be found in the reign of 
the Roman emperor Commodus, about the year 
A.D. 190. About the year 300 the emperor Diocle- 
tian heard of a congregation that was observing 
Christmas, and sent soldiers to lock the doors of 
the church and set fire to it, which was done, burn- 
16 



242 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

ing to death some 300 Christians in it. This fiend- 
ish act occurred on Christmas Day. 

Whien mas Easter first observed^ Easter was 
observed as a Christian festival probably before the 
celebration of Christmas was begun. It grew out 
O'f the Jewish Passover time quite naturally, and 
probably was celebrated first within a few years after 
Christ's death and resurrection. 

When did Joseph^ the husband of Jesus's mother, 
die? It is difficult to tell, as Scripture sheds no 
light upon the matter. The event may have taken 
place before the beginning of our Lord's ministry 
and probably did so, as Joseph is supposed to- have 
been a man of at least the prime of life at the time 
of Jesus's birth. It is reasonably certain that he 
was dead at the time of the crucifixion, because oth- 
erwise he would have attended Mary during that 
time, and none of the writers say anything about 
his presence on Calvary. It is probable that he died 
when Jesus was about twenty years old, during the 
period of the Master's life upon which the writers of 
the gospels are silent. 

When did Mary, the mother of Jesus, die-? There 
is nothing definite in Scripture on the subject; but 
there is a tradition to the effect that she died in 
A.D. 63. John, who' undoubtedly survived her, 
says nothing about her at all after the crucifixion. 

How many women named Mary are mentioned 
in connection with Christ's life? Five. They are : 
Mary, the mother of Jesus ; Mary, the sister of Je- 
sus's mother; Mary, the mothe'r oi John surnamed 
Mark; Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha; 
Mary Magdalene. 

Why did Nathaniel ask: ''Can' there any good 
thing come out of Nazareth?'' Nazareth was held 
in contempt by the Jews. It was a small and ob- 



^ Knowledge for Churchmembers 243 

scure town, in which the population was mixed and 
regarded as low by the rest of the Jews. More- 
over, it had caused trouble in the past because out o-f 
it had come a large amount of discontent against es- 
tablished authority. 

What was the sin against the Holy Ghost? It 
consisted in finally rejecting the gospel as preached 
by the apostles, who confirmed the truth of what 
they taught by "signs, wonders, and divers miracles, 
and gifts of the Holy Ghost."' It was an unpar- 
donable sin, since it sho'wed an impious and fixed 
determination to refuse the mercy and salvation 
offered by God. In present day religion it is the 
malicious stating that the dispensation, gifts, and 
influences of the Holy Ghost are the work of Satan. 
It is unpardonable because the person who commits 
it rejects the only remedy, which is the power of 
the Spirit in applying the redemption of faith to 
the souls of men. 

How did the disciples and apostles die? It is 
impossible to tell the exact fate oi all the apostles 
and disciples, because regarding some there is a 
great amount of doubt and uncertainty ; but the fol- 
lowing is the supposition concerning each : 

Matthew — was by occupation an inferior collector 
oi customs; probably a relative of Jesus; said 
to have suffered martyrdom by being stabbed 
with a sword while preaching in a city of Ethi- 
opia, but the facts are uncertain. 
Mark — supposed toi have gone to- Alexandria, 
Egypt, during his ministry and founded the 
church there; supposed to have been dragged 
through the streets of that city until dead dur- 
ing a period of persecution, but facts are un- 
certain. 
Luke — was a physician ; known to have siirviyed 



244 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

the death of Paul, with whom he labored, and 
is said to have suffered martyrdom by being 
hanged upon an olive tree in Greece, but the 
facts are uncertain. 

John — was the son of a well-to^do fisherman and 
the disciple beloved by Jesus ; he lived in exile 
in his old age on the Isle of Patmos, but is 
said to have died at Ephesus; some say he 
suffered martyrdom, but best of evidence is to 
the contrary. 

James — the brother of John and surnamed the 
Greater; was the first of the apostles and disci- 
ples to suffer martyrdom; was beheaded at 
Jerusalem, his courage and fortitude so- im- 
pressing the officer that led him to court that 
he professed and was beheaded at the same time. 

James — the son of Alphaeus and surnamed the 
Less; supposed to have been thrown from a 
high point of the temple at Jerusalem and then 
beaten to death, but the facts are somewhat 
uncertain. 

James— the brother of the Lord ; put to death in 
Jerusalem. 

Philip — the apostle ; supposed to have been put to 
death by hanging at Hieropolis, in Asia. 

Philip — the evangelist ; supposed to have suffered 
martyrdom, but facts are uncertain. 

Bartholomew — an apostle, probably also known 
as Nathaniel; suffered martyrdom either in In- 
dia or Armenia. 

Andrew — was an apostle as well as a disciple, 
crucified in Greece upon a cross shaped like the 
letter X. 

Thomas — ^believed to have been run through the 
body with a lance while preaching in India. 

Jude — shot to death with arrows in Persia, while 



Hh Knowledge for Churchmembers 245 

preaching there, according to the best traditions 
on the matter. 
Simon — son of Cleophas; crucified in Palestine 
at a very advanced age; may have been the 
apostle Simon Zelotes. 
Matthias — certainly suffered martyrdom, al- 
though where is not definitely known; said to 
have been stoned by Jews in Palestine, or cru- 
cified in Ethiopia. ^ 
Barnabas — date and character of death unknown. 
Paul — undoubtedly put to death at Rome by be- 
ing beheaded about 66 or 68 A.D. 
Peter — supposed to have suffered martyrdom at 
Rome by crucifixion; while the manner and 
time of it are uncertain there can be little doubt 
but that Peter died for his Master. 
Who uxxs Melchizedek? Melchizedek was "a 
priest O'f the most high God'' of the time of Abra- 
ham, and king oi Salem as well. He is regarded 
as being of the type of Christ, and some of the Old 
Testament commentators have gone so far as tO' say 
that he was Divinity on earth. 

What became of Pontius Pilate? After the death 
and resurrection of our Lord Pilate had trouble 
with the Roman authorities and fell out with those 
who were above him. He died an exile from Rome, 
ending his life by his own hand. 



FORMS AND CEREMONIES 

In the preparation of this book the writer 
^^^ has been requested to- include in its pages, 

Forms. for the benefit o-f those who desire them, 

proper forms for the ceremony of mar- 
riage, the burial of the dead, and for the setting 
apart of deacons in The Baptist church. The Bap- 
tist form of marriage ceremony and for the burial 
of the dead, and the ordination of deacons are such 
as are in use by pastors of eminence in the denom- 
ination. For assistance in the work of arranging 
them the author hereby acknowledges his "thanks to 
the Reverend George A. Lofton, D.D., pastor of 
the Central Baptist church, oi Nashville, Tenn: The 
Methodist forms are taken from the church's book 
of laws and ceremonies, ^^Discipline." 

The man and woman to be united in 
Marriag-e matrimony should present themselves be- 
Ceremony. fore the minister, the woman standing 
on the left side of the man. If there is 
a bridal procession the woman should enter escorted 
by the person whO' is to- give her away and the man 
should enter accompanied by his best man. As the 
parties meet before the minister the person giving 
away the bride should bow first to the best man and 
then toi the bridegroom, relinquishing the bride to 
him. The couple tO' be married then sho'uld take their 
places as before stated. Then the minister should 
proceed with the ceremony, saying : 

Ye who are about to become man and wife, 
(246) 



• Forms and Ceremonies 247 

hear what wise words are contained in the Holy 
Scriptures concerning the state of matrimony : 

And the Lord said, It is not good that man 
should be alone. I will make him an helpmeet 
for him. 

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his 
mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they 
shall be one flesh. 

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
loved the church, and gave himself for it. 

He that loveth his wife loveth himself; for no 
man ever yet hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth 
and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. 

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own hus- 
bands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the 
head of the wife, even as Christ is head of the 
church. Therefore as the church is subject unto 
Christ, so let the wives be unto their own hus- 
bands in everything. 

From these things from the Word of God, then, 
we learn that marriage is the first and most bind- 
ing, as well as one of the most holy, of the ordi- 
nances of God. It was instituted during man's 
innocency amid the yet-unblighted bowers of 
Eden, the Father uniting in holy bonds the first 
created pair. Thereafter this ordinance was rati- 
fied by the Eternal Son at the marriage in Cana 
of Galilee. Again it was confirmed through the 
apostles by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 
who pronounced the obligation honorable and 
binding among men. 

Emanating thus directly from supreme author- 
ity, and preceding all other social and civil con- 
tracts, this ordinance can neither undergo change 
nor pass away. Surviving the revolution and 
wreck of ages it has, and will ever remain the 



248 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

same, the immutable law of love and goodness 
and the only foundation of social order and do- 
mestic felicity. 

It is presumed, therefore, that you, who' no-w 
come to be united in this holy state, have taken 
this step wisely, discreetly, and in the fear of God. 

Now, in token of a due consideration upon 
your part of the nature and obligations of the 
conjugal relation, and of yonr mutual and de- 
cided choice of each other as partners for life, 
you will join your right hands. 

Here let the man and woman join their right hands. 

By this token you do both, in the presence o-f 
Almighty God and these witnesses, solemnly 
promise that, taking the Word of God for your 
guide, you will practice all those offices of kind- 
ness, affection, and duty which that Word pre- 
scribes for this relation. Do yon both mutually 
promise? 

Here let the man and the woman answer: "I do." 

Have you any further token by which yon 
would seal this mutual obligation? 

Here let the man give to the minister a ring. 

Behold this perfect and beautiful ring, the em- 
blem of unbroken union! It indicates that as 
death alone can dissolve the union of soul and 
body so also nothing but death can dissolve the 
union of husband and wife. 

Sir, do you give this ring as a further token of 
that love, honor, comfort, support, and protection 
with which yon ever will cherish this woman as 
yonr lawful and wedded wife? 

Here let the man answer: "I do." 

And do yon receive this ring as a further token 
of that love, honor, obedience, and devotion with 



^ Forms and Ceremonies 249 

which you ever will cherish this man as your 
lawful and wedded husband? 

Here let the woman answer : "I do." 
Sir, you will now place this ring upon the finger 
of this woman as the symbol of your never-to-be- 
broken vow. May it prove indeed the emblem of 
that richer and brighter circle of matured friend- 
ship and companionship that shall gird you like a 
ring of gold in this life, and of that glorious and 
eternal link which shall bind you in love before 
the throne of God. 

Here let the man place the ring upon the third finger of 
the woman's left hand. 

And now, agreeable to the laws of God and 
this State, and in the name of the Father, and the 
Son, and the Holy Spirit, I prono-unce you hus- 
band and wife: and those whom God hath joined 
together let no man put asunder. 

Here let the minister make a prayer asking a blessing upon 
the couple, ending with the benediction : 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the 

love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, 

be with us all evermore. Amen. 

The following is the form for the sol- 
Methodist . . r ^ • • • ^1 

Marriage emnization of matrimony m use m ihe 
Ceremony. Methodist Episcopal church and the 
Methodist Episcopal church, South: 

At the day and time appointed for the solemnization of 
matrimony, the persons to be married (having been 
qualified according to law) standing together, the man 
on the right hand and the woman on the left, the min- 
ister shall say: 

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here 
in the sight of God, and in the presence of these 
witnesses, to join together this man and this wom- 
an in holy matrimony; which is an honorable es- 
tate, instituted of God in the time of man's inno- 



250 The Churchmember^s Guide Hh 

cency, signifying unto us the mystical union that 
is between Christ and his Church: which holy 
estate Christ adorned and beautified with his pres- 
ence, and first miracle that he wrought in Cana 
of Galilee, and is commended of St. Paul to be 
honorable among all men ; and therefore is not by 
any to be enterprised, or taken in hand unadvised- 
ly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and in the 
fear of God. 

Into which holy estate these two persons pres- 
ent come now to be joined. Therefore if any can 
show any just cause why they may not be law- 
fully joined together, let him now speak, or else 
hereafter forever hold his peace. 

And also speaking unto the persons that are to be mar- 
ried, he shall say : 

I require and charge you both (as ye shall an- 
swer at the dreadful day of judgment, when the 
secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed), that if 
either of yo^u know any impediment why ye may 
not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, ye 
do now confess it; for be well assured, that so 
many as are coupled together otherwise than God's 
word doth allow are not joined together by God, 
neither is their matrimony lawful. 

If no impediment be alleged, then shall the minister say 

unto the man, 

M,, Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded 
wife, to live together after God's ordinance, in 
the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love 
her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness 
and in health ; and, forsaking all other, keep thee 
only unto her, so long as ye both shall live? 
The man shall answer, 

I Will. 

'Then shall the minister say unto the woman, 



' Forms and Ceremonies 251 

A^.^ Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded 
husband, to Hve together after God's ordinance, 
in the holy estate of matrimoy? Wilt thou obey 
him, serve him, love, honor, and keep him, in 
sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, 
keep thee only unto him, sO' long as ye both shall 
live? 

The woman shall answer, 

I Will. 

When the parties so desire, the man shall give unto the 
woman a ring;' and the minister taking the ring shall 
deliver it unto the man, to put it on the fourth finger of 
the woman's left hand; and the man, holding the ring 
there, and taught by the minister, shall say, 

With this ring I thee wed, and- with all my 

worldly goods I thee endow : in the name of the 

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

Amen. 

Then shall the minister say. 
Let us pray. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven ; give us this day our 
daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead 
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; 
for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
glory, fo-rever and ever. Amen. 

O eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all 
mankind. Giver of all spiritual grace, the author 
of everlasting life, send thy blessing upon these 
thy servants, this man and this woman, whom 
we bless in thy name ; that as Isaac and Rebecca 
lived faithfully together, so these persons may 
surely perform and keep the vow and covenant 
between them made, and may ever remain in per- 
fect love and peace together, and live according 



252 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

to thy laws, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then shall the minister join their right hands together, 

and say, 

Those whom God hath joined together let not 
man put asunder. 

Forasmuch as M. and A^. have consented to- 
gether in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the 
same before God and this company, and thereto 
•have pledged their faith either to other, and have 
declared the same by joining hands, I pronounce 
that they are man and wife together, in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

And the minister shall add this blessing: 
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy 
Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord 
mercifully with his favor look upon you; and so 
fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, 
that ye may so live together in this life, that in 
the world to come ye may have life everlasting. 
Amen. 

In the fo'rm for burial service for the use 
Burial ^'"^ Baptists given herein it must be under- 
Service. stood that it is for use at the grave only. 
With regard to the service at the home of 
the deceased person it is suggested that the min- 
ister use his judgment, after consultation with the 
family as to the character of it. It may consist of 
Scriptural readings and a few fitting remarks by 
the minister, and prayer. The following are rec- 
ommended as good passages of Scripture: 

For general use : Job xiv. i, 2, and 18-21 ; Job v. 6, 7, 

and 17-20; 2 Cor. v. i-io. 
For the aged: Psalm Ixxi. 5-9, and 17-20; Isaiah xlvi. 4. 
For children: Mark v. 35-41; Mark x. 14-16; Job i. 21. 
In cases of sudden death: i Peter i. 24; Psalm xc. 



^ Forms and Ceremonies 253 

For comfort: 2 Cor. i. 3-5; Hebrews xi. 17-19, and 32-40. 
When the body in its casket shall have arrived at the 
grave and the mourners assembled around it, the min- 
ister shall await the lowering of the casket into the 
grave, after which he shall cast a handful of earth 
upon it and say : 

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God, in 
his wise providence, to take out of this world the 
soul of our deceased brother, we therefore com- 
mit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes, dust to dust; looking for the general 
resurrection in the last day, and the life of the 
world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; at 
whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge 
the world, the earth and the sea shall give up 
their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those 
who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like 
untO' his own glorious body, according to the 
mighty working whereby he is able tO' subdue all 
things unto himself. 

Then shall be said, 

I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 
may rest from their labors. 

Our Father, who' art in heaven, Hallowed be 
thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be 
done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread. And forgive us our tres- 
passes. As we forgive those whoi trespass against 
us. And lead us not intoi temptation ; But deliver 
us from evil. Amen. 

Then the Minister shall say one or both of the following 
Prayers, at his discretion. 

Almighty God, with whom do live the spirits 
of those who' depart hence in the Lord, and with 
whom the souls of the faithful, after they are de- 



254 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

livered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy 
and f eHcity ; We give thee hearty thanks for the 
good examples of all those thy servants, who, hav- 
ing finished their course in faith, do now rest from 
their labors. And we beseech thee, that we, with 
all those who are departed in the true faith of 
thy holy Name, may have our perfect consumma- 
tion and bliss, both in body and soul, in thy eter- 
nal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

O merciful. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life; in 
whom whosoever believeth, shall live, though he 
die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, 
shall not die eternally; who also' hath taught us, 
by his holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to- be sorry, 
as men without hope, for those who sleep in him ; 
We humbly beseech thee, O Father, tO' raise us 
from the death of sin unto the life of righteous- 
ness ; that, when we shall depart this Hfe, we may 
rest in him; and that, at the general resurrection 
in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy 
sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well- 
beloved Son shall then pronounce to all who- love 
and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children 
of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for 
you from the beginning of the world. Grant 
this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through 
Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 
The grace of O'ur Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, 
be with us all evermore. Amen. 

The form ordained for the burial of de^ 
Burial ceased persons in The Methodist Epis- 

IService. copal church and The Methodist Epi3- 
pal church, South, is as follows : 



" Forms and Ceremonies 255 

The minister, meetihg the corpse, and going before it, 

shall say, 

I am the resurrection, and the Hfe: he that be- 
Heveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live; and whosoevei* liveth, and believeth in me, 
shall never die. John xi. 25, 26. 

I knov^^ that my Redeemer liveth, and that he 
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and 
though after my skin worms destroy this body, 
yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall 
see fo-r myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and 
not another. Job xix. 25-27. 

We brought nothing into this world, and it is 
certaifli we can carry nothing out. The Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be 
the name of the Lord, i Tim. vi. 7; Job i. 21. 

After they come into the church, or house, shall be read 

Psalm xc. 

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all 
generations. 

Before the mountains were brought forth, or 
ever tho'U hadst formed the earth and the world, 
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art 
God. 

Thou tumest man to destruction; and sayest, 
Return, ye children of men. 

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as 
yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the 
night. 

Thou hast set our jniquities before thee, our se- 
cret sins in the light of thy countenance. 

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : 
we spend our years as a tale that is told. 

The days of our years are three-score years and 
ten; and if by reason of strength they be foiir- 



256 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

score years, yet is their strength labor and sor- 
row : for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 

Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even 
according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 

So teach us to number our days, that we may 
apply our hearts unto wisdom. 

Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent 
thee concerning thy servants. 

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may 
rejoice and be glad all our days. 

Make us glad according to the days wherein 
tho'U hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we 
have seen evil. 

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy 
glory unto their children. 

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be 
upon us ; and establish thou the work of our hands 
upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish 
thou it. 

Then shall follow the lesson, i Cor. xv. 20-58, or the fol- 
lowing abridgment : 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become 
the first-fruits of them that slept. For since 
by man came death, by man came also the resur- 
rection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even 
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every 
man in his own order : Christ the first-fruits ; after- 
ward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then 
Cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up 
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he 
shall have put down all rule, and all authority 
and power. For he must reign, till he hath put 
all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that 
shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all 
things under his feet. But some man will say. How 
are the dead raised up? and with what body do 



' Forms and Ceremonies 257 

they come? Tho-u fool, that which thou sowest 
is not quickened except it die; and that which 
thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall 
be, but bare grain; it may chance of wheat, or 
O'f some other grain; but God giveth it a body 
as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own 
body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but there 
is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of 
beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terres- 
trial : but the glory of the celestial is one, and the 
glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one 
glo'ry O'f the sun, and another glory of the moon, 
and another glo-ry of the stars ; for one star differ- 
eth from another star in glory. So also is the 
resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corrup- 
tion, it is raised in incorruption ; it is sown in 
dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weak- 
ness, it is raised in power; it is so'Wn a natural 
body, it is raised a spiritual body. Behold, I show 
you a mystery : we shall not all sleep, but we shall 
all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of 
an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall 
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, 
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible 
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put 
on immortality. So when this corruptible shall 
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall 
have put on immortality, then shall be brought 
to pass the saying that is written. Death is swal- 
lowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? 
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of 
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the vic- 
tory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. There- 
fore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmov- 
17 



258 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in 
vain in the Lord. 

Here may follow a suitable hymn, a sermon, or exhorta- 
tion, and an extemporary prayer. 
At the grave, when the corpse is laid in the earth, the min- 
ister shall say, 

Man that is born of woman is of few days, 
and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flow- 
er, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, 
and continueth not. 

In the midst of life we are in -death : of whom 
may we seek for succor, but of thee, O Lord, who 
for our sins are justly displeased? 

Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most 
mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, deliv- 
er us not into the bitter pains of eternal death. 

Thou knowest. Lord, the secrets of O'ur hearts : 
shut not thy merciful ears tO' our prayers, but 
spare us. Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O 
holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy 
Judge eternal, suffer us not at our last hour for 
any pains of death to fall from thee. 
Then the minister may say, 

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God, 
in his wise providence, tO' take out of this worid 
the soul of our deceased brother, we therefore 
commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, 
ashes to ashes, dust to dust ; looking for the gen- 
eral resurrection in the last day, and the life of 
the woirld-to-come, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
at whose second coming in glorious majesty to 
judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give 
up their dead ; and the corruptible bodies of those 
who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like 
unto his own glorious body, according to the 



^ Forms and Ceremonies 259 

• mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all 

things unto himself. 

Then shall be said, 

I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 

Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 

from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they 

may rest from their labors. 

A suitable hymn may here be sung, and then shall the 

mmister say. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on 
earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our 
daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead 
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
Amen, 

The Collect. 

O merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in 
whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he 
die; and whosoever liveth and believeth in him, 
shall not die eternally: we meekly beseech thee, 
O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto 
the life of righteo'usness ; that when we shall de- 
part this life we may rest in him ; and at the gen- 
eral resurrection on the last day may be found 
acceptable in thy sight and receive that blessing 
which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce 
to all that love and fear thee, saying. Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the foundation of the world. 
Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, 
through Jesus Christ our Mediator and Redeemer. 
Amen. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
love of God, and the communion of the Holy 
Ghost, be with yo-u all. Amen. 



260 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

In many Baptist churches it is the 
Baptist custom to ordain or set apart the 

Deacons. deacons to their office by means of a 

ceremony, after they have been duly 
elected by vote of the church, special care being tak- 
en, of course, to choose men that are spiritually qual- 
ified for the post. 

First, let a date be appointed for the ceremony 
of setting apart and then let the church call a coun- 
cil — that is, let the pastors and deacons of nearby 
Baptist churches to the number O'f about twelve, six 
pastors and six deacons, be requested to take charge 
of the ceremony and to perform the rites. While 
it is not always done, the council should be per- 
mitted to make all the arrangements with reference 
as to which of its members shall take part. The 
council should arrange these matters at a convenient 
time before the date of the ceremony. 

The following is given as a good programme : 

1. Hymn. 

2. Prayer by the minister of the church in which the 

ceremony takes place. 

3. Sermon of about 20 minutes by one of the pastors 

of the council. 

4. Prayer by one of the deacons of the council. 

5. Reading of the Scripture, ending with that part of 

I Timothy iii. relating to the qualifications of dea- 
cons, by a visiting pastor or deacon. 

6. Charge to those about to be set apart as deacons by 

one of the deacons of the council. (Not to last 
more than ten minutes.) 

7. Charge to the church from which and in which the 

deacons are set apart, by a visiting pastor. (Not 
to last more than ten minutes.) 

8. Ceremony of setting apart of the deacons by the 

laying-on of hands. 

9. Prayer by the pastor of the church in which the cere- 

mony takes place. 
10. Benediction pronounced by the oldest pastor of the 
council. 



^ Forms and Ceremonies 261 

During the entire service the men to be set apart 
as deacons should be seated in the first row of seats. 
The members of the council should occupy seats on 
the platform if it is large enough to accommodate 
them. If not, at least those who are to pray, read, 
or speak should sit there. 

When the time comes for the laying-on of hands 
the candidates should stand, sit, or kneel, as is the 
custom or the preference, and all or a part oi the 
council should place their hands upon the candidates' 
heads, while one of the pastors offers a prayer ask- 
ing God's blessing and guidance for the deacons 
thus set apart. It is needless to say that the entire 
congregation of the church should be present at the 
ceremony. 

For the setting-apart of deacons and 
^^^ elders in The Presbyterian church 

Presbyterians, the following forms will be found 
most useful. They are taken from 
"The Book of Common Worship," described on a 
previous page. 

Form for the ordination or setting apart of rul- 
ing elders : 

Divine Service having been celebrated according to the 
usual Order, the Persons to be ordained shall, after the 
Sermon, present themselves before the pulpit at the call 
of the Minister, who shall thus address the congregation: 

Dearly Beloved : As in the Old Testament the 
Elders exercised an honorable office of govern- 
ment among the people of God, so also' in the 
New Testament the Apostle ordained Elders in 
every church; commanding that they that rule 
well be counted worthy of double honor, especially 
they who labor in the Word and doctrine. 

Therefore, this Church has from the beginning 
included in her government not only Ministers 



262 The Churclimember^s Guide ^ 

and Pastors, who are to preach the Gospel and 
administer the Sacraments in the Name of Christ 
and as His represaitatives : but also Ruling Elders 
chosen by the people to represent them, and to be 
joined with Pastors and Ministers in the exercise 
of government and discipline in the Church. 

These Ruling Elders in each congregation, to^ 
gether with the Pastor, constitute the Session, 
to whom it is committed to admit and exclude 
members, to regulate the worship, guard the doc- 
trine, direct the activity, and conserve the inter- 
ests O'f the congregation. The Elders are also to 
represent their brethren in Presbyteries, Synods, 
and General Assemblies, when commissioned 
thereto. And it is the duty of the Elders several- 
ly to set the example of a godly walk and con- 
versation, and tO' assist the Pastor in the visita- 
tion O'f the people, and in their spiritual guidance 
and comfort. These brethren here present [here 
the Minister shall mention the names of the Per- 
sons chosen^ having been chosen in the mode 
most approved and in use in this congregation, 
to the office o-f Ruling Elder, and having signi- 
fied their willingness to- serve, we dO' therefore, 
in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, now pro- 
ceed to their ordination. 
Then the Minister, addressing the Elders-^/^r^, shall say, 

Forasmuch as you have declared your willing- 
ness to take this office upon you, I now require 
you to answer the following Questions, appointed 
by the Church to be put to those who are to be 
ordained as Elders. 

Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments to be the Word of God, the 
only infallible rule O'f faith and practice? 



I Forms and Ceremonies 263 

Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confes- 
sion of Faith of this Church, as containing the 
system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures ? 

Do you approve of the government and disci- 
phne of the Presbyterian Church in these United 
States? 

Do you accept the office of Ruhng Elder in this 
congregation, and promise faithfully tO' perform 
all the duties thereof? 

Do you promise to study the peace, unity, and 

purity O'f the Church? 

The 'Eld^vs-elect having anszvered these Questions in the 
aifirmative, the Minister shall address to the Members 
of the Church the following Question : 

Do you, the Members of this church, acknowl- 
edge and receive these brethren as Ruling Elders, 
and do you promise tO' yield them all that honor, 
encouragement, and obedience in the Lord, to 
which their office, according to the Word of God, 
and the constitution of this Church, entitles them? 

The Members of the Church having answered this Ques- 
tion in the affirmative, by holding up their right hands, 
the Minister shall proceed to set apart the Candidates 
to their oiUce, by prayer, {and if desired, the Laying 
on of Hands,) the 'EXdtvs-elect devoutly kneeling. 

Let us pray. 

Set apart, we beseech Thee, O Lord, these Thy 

servants tO' the work whereuntO' Thou hast called 

them by the voice of this people. Endue them 

plenteously with heavenly wisdom. Grant them 

Thy grace, that they may be good men, full of 

the Holy Ghost and of faith, ruling in the fear 

O'f God. Give them favor and influence with the 

people. Make them- faithful unto death, and 

when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, may they 

receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 

Amen, 



264 The Churchmember^s Guide ^ 

Then the Minister shall say, 
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by 
the authority committed to me in His Church, I 
hereby declare you duly constituted and set apart 
to the office of Ruling Elder. 

I now charge you, in the Name of the Lord 
Jesus, to be faithful in this your office. 

I also charge you. Christian people, to be faith- 
ful to these Elders whom you have chosen tO' rule 
over you in the Lord; and that you render them 
all due obedience, cooperation, and support, and 
follow them so far as ye see them^ follow Christ. 

Where there is an existing Session, it is proper that the 
Members of that body sho'uld here take the newly or- 
dained Elders by the hand, saying in words to this 
purpose: 

We give you the right hand of fellowship, to 
take part of this Office with us. 

// Elders who have been already ordained are to be in- 
stalled at the same Service, the Order for their Instal- 
lation may be here introduced. 

Then the Minister shall say. 

May the great Head of the Church so enrich 
us with His heavenly grace, that at the last we 
shall hear Him saying unto> us : Well done, good 
and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of 
thy Lord. 
Form for the installation of ruling elders : 

When an Elder has terminated his connection with his 
Session by removal to another church, or by resigna- 
tion, or when he is re-elected under the rotary system, 
he is to be reinstalled before he can regularly exercise 
the duties of his oMce. — Minutes of the General As- 
sembly, 1878, 1882. 

When Elders are to be newly ordained at the same Service 
with the installation of those who have been previously 
ordained, the follozving Order may be introduced in The 
Order for the Ordination of Ruling Elders, immediately 
before the Benediction, 



-fr Forms and Ceremonies 265 

Beloved Brethren: Having already been sol- 
emnly ordained to the office of Ruling Elder, you 
do now present yourselves in response tO' the voice 
of this congregation, to be installed again for 
the discharge of the active duties of your office. 

You will therefore now give answer tO' the fol- 
lowing Questions : 

Do you accept the office of Ruling Elder in this 
congregation, and promise faithfully to perform 
all the duties thereof? 

Do you promise to study the peace, unity, and 
purity of the Church ? 

The 'Elders-elect having answered these Questions in the 
aiHrmative, the Minister shall address to the Members 
of the Church the following Question: 

Do you, the members of this church, acknowl- 
edge and receive these Brethren as Ruling Elders, 
and do you promise to yield them all that honor, 
encouragement, and obedience in the Lord, to 
which their office, according to the Word of God, 
and the constitution of the Church, entitles themf 

The Members of the church shall answer in the aMrmative 
by holding up their right hands. 

Then the Minister shall say, 

I hereby declare you tO' be invested with the 

Office O'f Ruling Elder in this congregation. 

Then the Minister shall say, 

May the great Head of the Church so enrich 
us with His heavenly grace, that at the last we 
shall hear Him saying unto us : Well done, good 
and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of 
thy Lord. 

Form for the ordination or setting apart of dea- 
cons: 

Divine Service having been celebrated according to the 
usual Order, the Persons to be ordained shall, after the 



266 The Churchmember's Guide ^ 

Sermon, present themselves before the pulpit at the call 
of the Minister, who shall thus address the congregation: 

Dearly Belo'ved : Concerning the institution of 
the office of Deacon we read in the sixth chapter 
of the Book of the Acts, that in the beginning the 
Apostles themselves ministered tO' the poor; but 
afterwards, being overburdened with these min- 
istrations, they advised that certain men be chosen 
by the Church, to whom the service of the poo-r 
was committed as their peculiar care; therefore 
this Church has recognized the work and office 
of these men, tO' whom in the New Testament is 
given the title of Deacons, as of Apostolic institu- 
tion, and needful for the welfare of the whole 
Body of Christ, to the end that the Ministers 
might continually give themselves to- prayer and 
to the ministry of the Word. 

Of this office St. Paul requires that the Dea- 
cons must be grave, not double-tongued, not giv- 
en to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, hold- 
ing the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience ; 
ruling their children and their own houses well. 
And of them that have used this office, well he de- 
clares that they purchase toi themselves a good" 
degree, and great boldness in the faith, which is 
in Christ Jesus. 

These brethren here present {here the Minister 
shall mention the names of the Persons chosen) 
having been chosen, in the mode most approved 
and in use in this congregation, to the office of 
Deacon, and having signified their willingness to 
serve, w'e do therefore, in the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, now proceed tO' their ordination. 

Then the Minister addressing the Dtdicons,- elect shall say, 
Forasmuch as you have declared your willing- 
ness to take this office upon you, I now require 



' Forms and Ceremonies 267 

yo'U tO' answer the following Questions, appointed 
by the Church tO' be put tO' those who are to be 
ordained as Deacons. 

Do you beheve the Scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only 
infallible rule of faith and practice? 

Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confes- 
sion O'f Faith of this Church, as containing the 
system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures ? 

Do you approve of the government and disci- 
pline of the Presbyterian Church in these United 
States? 

Do you accept the office oi Deacon in this con- 
gregation, and promise faithfully to perform all 
the duties thereof? 

Do you promise to study the peace, unity, and 
purity of the Church ? 

The Dtsicons- elect having answered these Questions in the 
aiHrmative, the Minister shall address to the Members 
of the church the following Question : 

Do' you, the Members of this church, acknowl- 
edge and receive these brethren as Deacons, and 
do you promise to yield them all that honor, en- 
couragement, and obedience in the Lord to which 
their office, according to- the Word of God, and 
the constitution of this Church, entitles them? 

The Members of the church having answered this Question 
in the aiHrmative, by holding up their right hands, the 
Minister shall proceed to set apart the Candidates to 
their oiUce, by Prayer, {and if desired, the Laying on of 
Hands), the T> tdiCons- elect devoutly kneeling. 

Let US pray. 
O Lord Jesus, who-, being rich, for our sakes 
became poor, that we through Thy poverty might 
be rich ; Set apart and consecrate these Thy serv- 
ants to the office of Deacon. Give them Thine 
own spirit of sympathy with all human sorrow 



268 The Churchmember's Guide '4^ 

and distress, and of holy, self-denying service in 
behalf of those who are in want and suffering. 
Guide and sustain them^ in their ministiy of love 
until their work on earth is done; and bestow 
upon them the great rewards of Thy heavenly 
kingdom. Amen, 

Then the Minister shall say, 

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by 
the authority committed tO' me in His Church, I 
hereby declare you duly set apart and ordained to 
the office of Deacon. 

I now charge you in the Name of the Lord 
Jesus, to be faithful in this your office. 

I also charge you. Christian people, tO' be faith- 
ful tO' these Deacons, baptizing" their ministry to 
the poor with your daily prayers, supplying it con- 
stantly and cheerfully with your liberal gifts, and 
remembering that Christ has appointed the poor 
to represent Himself in o-ur offices of sympathy 
and benevolent service on earth. 

Then shall the King say untoi them on the right 
hand. Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world; for I was a hungered, and ye gave Me 
meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I 
was a stranger, and ye took Me in ; naked, and ye 
clothed Me ; I was sick, and ye visited Me ; I was 
in prison, and ye came untO' Me. Verily, I say 
unto you, Liasmuch as ye have done it unto' one 
of the least of these My brethren, ye have done 
it unto Me. 

Where there is an existing Board of Deacons it is proper 
that the Members of that body take the newly ordained 
Deacons by the hand, saying in words to this purpose: 

We give you the right hand of fellowship, to 
take part of this Office with us. 



^ Forms and Ceremonies 269 

Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly 
abundantly above all that we ask or think, ac- 
cording to the power that worketh in us; unto 
Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus, 
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

Where Deacons who have already been ordained are to he 
installed in any congregation, The Order for their In- 
stallation may follow The Order for the Installation of 
Ruling Elders who have been previously Ordained, 

For the benefit of those who desire to 

of Grace ^^^ them it has been deemed advisable 

Before Meals, to incorporate in this section several 

forms of thanks, or grace, to be said 

at the table before beginning a meal. They follow : 

The Lord make us grateful for all His mercies, 
and add His blessing, for Christ's sake. Amen, 

Almighty God, who provides for us, nourish our 
souls with the Bread of Life in Jesus Christ. Amen, 

Bless us, O Lord, in blessing Thee, as we receive 
Thy gift of daily bread. Amen, 

The Lord bless this food to our use, and us to 
His service. Amen, 

Lord, help us to receive all good things as from 
Thy hand, and to use them to Thy praise. Amen, 

Heavenly Father, make us thankful to Thee, and 
mindful of others, as we receive these blessings, in 
Jesus' Name. Amen, 

Father in heaven, sustain our bodies with this 
food, our hearts with true friendship, and our souls 
with Thy truth, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

* * * 



My name is. 
My home is. 



My church is. 



It is located at. 



It was founded in. 
Its pastor is 



I have been a member of it since. 



MEMBERSHIP OF 



CHURCH 



of 



NAME 



ASSESSMENT 



^o 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 


\ 




































' 
























" 























































271 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 


























■ 
















































• 









































272 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 






















































: 































































18 



273 



^o 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 




























^ 

























































































74 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 








' 










































^ 



































































75 



^a-s'JL^^j,!: %s^ J[b. ^"^^^Ji^l^r 


NAME 


ASSESSMENT 














•' 


















































• 





















































276 



NAME 


ASSESSMENT 
































, 





















































































77 



Cliurcli Register 



NAME 



ASSESSMENT 



27S 



INDEX 



Adults, Methodism baptism of, 84 to 88; Presbyte- 
rian baptism of, 127 to 135. 

Andrew, facts about disciple, 244. 

Annual Conference, 82. 

Apocalypse, what is, 235. 

Apocrypha, what is, 235. 

Apostles' creed, 240; deaths, 243 to 245. 

AsBURY, Francis, aid to Wesley, 70; sent to America, 
y2 ; labors, ^2, 73 ; made bishop, 74. 

Assembly, of Presbyterian Church, in Scotland, 109; 
first in America, 114; nature of, 126; of Cumber- 
land Church, 118. 

Association, first Baptist in America, 20. 

B 

Baptism, early immersion, 16; departure from immer- 
sion, 16; Baptist method of^ 27 to 29; Disciples' 
method, 55 to 56; Methodist method, 84 to 94; Pres- 
byterian method, 127 to 135. 

Baptists, origin of, 16; always immersionists, 16; 
first community of, 17; persecuted by ZwingH, 18; 
spread to Holland and England, 18; persecuted by 
Romanists, 19; take part in Cromwell's revolt, 19; 
arrival in America, 19; found Providence, 20; in 
Virginia and Southern States, 20-21; take part in 
Revolution, 21; Convention formed, 22 \ church 
splits, 22 ; statistics of, 22-2^^ \ beHef of, 24 ; view of 
infant baptism, 24 ; confessions of faith of, 25 ; par- 

(279) 



280 Index * 

ticular and general, 25; government of, 25; inde- 
pendence of churches, 26; methods of admission, 
2y \ form of baptism, 28; Lord's Supper, 29 to 31; 
discipHne of, 32-33 ; business meeting form, 34-35 ; 
method of forming new church, 36-37; Primitive 
Baptists, -i;] to 40; form of marriage, 246; burial, 
252; setting apart deacons, 260. 

Barnabas, facts about disciple, 245. 

Bartholomew, facts about disciple, 244. 

Belief, of Baptists, 24; of Primitive Baptists, 38; of 
Disciples of Christ, 50-51 ; of Methodists, yy to 79; 
of Presbyterians, 121 to 123. 

Bible, what is, 234-235 ; facts about, 234-237. 

Brothers, of Jesus, 241. 

BuNYAN, John, 19. 

Business meetings, Baptist, 34-35; Disciples', 61-62; 
how to conduct, 214 to 223. 

C 

Calvin, John, 107; birth, 108; education, 108; con- 
version to reformed faith, 108; in Geneva as leader, 
108; death, 108. 

Campbell, Alexander, 42; birth and education, 44; 
organizes Brush Run church, 45 ; baptized by im- 
mersion, 45; trouble with Baptists, 46; parts from 
Baptists, 46; organizes The Disciples of Christ, 46; 
famous debates, 47 ; founds college, 48 ; death, 48. 

Charlemagne, 206. 

Christian, church (see Disciples of Christ) ; origin 
of the word, 241. 

Christianity, history of, 201 ; periods of, 201 ; condi- 
tion of world at dawn of^ 202 ; Rome's preeminence 
at dawn of, 202 ; apostolic age in, 203-204 ; progress 
of, 206; at division of Roman empire, 206; at rise 
of papacy, 206 ; under Charlemagne, 206 ; at rise and 
spread of Mohammedanism, 205-206; under abuses 
of Roman church, 206 ; at crusades, 207 ; in decline 
of papacy, 207 to 209 ; at the Reformation, 209 to 
211 ; present and future of, 211 to 213. 



HH Index 281 

Christmas, origin of, 241. 

Church, derivation of word, 12; meaning of word, 
12; composition of, 12; qualifications for member- 
ship in, 13; why formed, 14; Conference, 81; rela- 
tion to civil law, 224 ; militant, 240. 

Clarke, John, aids in founding of Providence, 20. 

Coke, Bishop, aid to Wesley, sent to America, 74. 

Colleges, Baptist, 2^; Disciples', 49; Methodist, yy; 
Presbyterian, 121. 

Colored, Baptists, 2^ ; Methodists, 76 ; Cumberland 
Presbyterians, 121. 

Conference, first Methodist, 68; nature and priv- 
ileges of various kinds, 81 to 83. 

Congregationalists, 1147I15. 

Convention, American Baptists form, 22; Southern 
Baptists form, 22 ; Disciples', 53. 

Creed, Apostles', 240. 

Cromwell, Oliver, and Baptists, 19; and Presbyte- 
rians, IIO-III. 

Crusades, 207-208. 

Cumberland Presbyterian church, origin, 117; found- 
ing of, 118; revises Westminster Confession, 118; 
forms a General Assembly, 118; spread of, 118; re- 
union matters, 118-119. 

D 

Deacons, choice of in Baptist churches, 26; serve at 
Baptist Lord's Supper, 31 ; chosen with care, 36; 
aid at footwashing by Primitive Baptists, 40 ; in 
Disciples of Christ, 52 ; in Methodist church, 80 ; in 
Presbyterian church, 124; Baptist form for setting 
apart, 260; Presbyterian form for setting apart, 264 
to 269. 

Death, of Joseph, 242; of Mary, 242; apostles and 
disciples, 242 to 245. 

Declaration of Independence, 114; Mecklenberg, 114. 

Disciples of Christ, beginnings of, 42; church's posi- 
tion, 43 ; history of origin, 43-44 ; work of Alexander 
Campbell begun, 45-46 ; split with Baptists, 46 ; sep- 



282 Index 4^ 

arate church organized, 47 ; growth and spread, 48 ; 
statistics of, 49; faith of, 50-51 ; conditions for mem- 
bership in, 51; government of, 52-53; reception of 
new members in, 54-55; form of baptism, 55-56; 
Lord's Supper in, 56-58 ; discipHne in, 59-61 ; busi- 
ness meetings, 61-62; forming a new church of, 
62-63 ) manners of death of Christ's, 243 to 245. 

Discipline, in Baptist church, 32-33 ; in Disciples, 59 
to 61 ; in Methodists, 103-104; in Presbyterians, 142. 

District Conferences, 82. 

Doctrine, of Baptists, 24; of Primitive Baptists, 50- 
51 ; of Methodists, yj to 79; of Presbyterians, 121. 

Duties, of churchmembers, 226; of deacons, 31, 40, 
52, 80, 124. 

E 

Easter, origin of, 242. 

Election, of members in Baptist church, 2y, 

English church, and Baptists, 21 ; apathy of during 

Wesley's time, 64; opposition to Wesley, 68. 
Experience meetings, how to conduct, 158 to 163. 

F 

Facts, about Bible, 237. 

FooTWASHiNG, by Primitive Baptists, 39-40; history 
of, 40 ; form used by Primitive Baptists, 40. 

Forms, in Baptist churches, 28 to 37, 246; 252, 260; 
in Disciples, 54 to 63 ; in Methodist, 84 to 104, 249, 
254; Presbyterian, 127 to 142, 261 to 269; Prim- 
itive Baptists, 40. 

Q 

Garfield, Gen. J. A., 48. 

General Assembly, of Presbyterian church, in Scot- 
land, 109; first in America, 114; nature of, 126; 
of Cumberland church, 118; Conference, 83. 

Government, forms of church, 26; Baptist, 25-26; 
Disciples, 52; Methodist, 79 to 82; Presbyterian, 
124 to 126. 

Grace, how to say, 269. 



^ Index 283 

H 

Hand, of fellowship, 29. 

History, of Baptists, 16 to 22; of Bible, 237-238; of 
Christianity, 201 to 213; of Disciples of Christ, 42 
to 48; of Methodists, 64 to 76; Presbyterians, 106 
to 120. 

Holy Ghost, sin against, 243. 

How, to conduct meetings, prayer, 149 to 157; expe- 
rience, 158 to 163; watch, 164 to 167; rally, 168 
to 173; love feasts, 174 to 177; Sunday-schools, 
178 to 196; to perform marriages, 246 to 252; to 
ordain deacons, 260 to 269; to bury dead, 252-259; 
to say grace, 269. 

Huguenots, persecuted by Catholics, 109. 

I 

Immersion, in early church, 16; departure from, 16; 
only Baptist mode, 16; Disciples' mode, 55; Meth- 
odist view of, 79 ; Presbyterian view of^ 127. 

Infants, baptism of. Baptists opposed to, 24; Meth- 
odist view of, 79; Methodist method of, 91 to 94; 
Presbyterian view of, 132; Presbyterian method of, 
132 to 135. 

Itinerancy, 81. 

J 

James, 244. . 

Jesus, brothers of, 241. 

John, 244. 

Joseph, death of, 242. 

JuDE, 245. 

K 

Knox, John, early training, 109; meets Calvin, 109; 
work for Scotch church, 109. 

L 

Law and churches, 224. 

Longest book in the Bible, 236; chapter, 236; verse, 
236. 



284 Index 4- 

Lord's Supper, in Baptist church, 29-30; in Disciples, 
56 to 58; Methodists, 94 to 102; Presbyterians, 135 
to 142. 

Love Feasts, how to conduct, 174 to 177. 

Luke, 243. 

M 

Makemie, Francis, reaches America, 113; work for 
Presbyterians, 113. 

Mark, 243. 

Mary, death of, 242 ; BibHcal persons named, 242. 

Matthew, 243. 

Matthias, 245. 

Meckle'nberg, declaration, 114. 

Meetings, Baptist business^ 34-35 ; need for knowl- 
edge on, 147-148; prayer, 149 to 157; experience, 
158-163; rally, 168 to 173; watch, ^164 to 167; love 
feasts, 174 to 177; Sunday-schools, 178 to 196. 

Methodist Episcopal church, a reform movement, 64 ; 
origin at Oxford, 66; preaching begun, 67; spread 
of movement, 68; opposition of English clergy, 68; 
cannon foundry bought, 68; first Conference, 68; 
trouble with English church, 70; origins in Amer- 
ica, 71 ; first preaching in America^, 71 ; first church 
in America, ^2 ; Asbury sent to America, ^2 ; spread 
to Southern States, y2 ; crisis over sacraments, 'j'^ ; 
Coke sent to America, 74; Asbury consecrated, 74; 
church organized, 74 ; spreads rapidly, 75 ; split over 
slavery, 75 ; Southern church organized, ^6 ; doc- 
trines of, yy to 79; government of, 81 to 83 ; condi- 
tions of membership, 84 ; methods of baptism, 84 to 
88; recognition of members, 89 to 91 ; method of in- 
fant baptism, 91 to 94; Lord's Supper, 94 to 102; 
discipline, 103-104; new churches, 104-105; mar- 
riage ceremony, 249; burial, 252. 

Milton, John, 19. 

Missions, Baptist, 22-23; Disciples, 49; Methodists, 
76-77; Presbyterians, I2r. 

Mohammedanism, 205-206. 

Motions, 219-220; rules for, 221. 



^ Index 285 

N 
Natural religion, 239-240. 
Nazareth, 242. 

New School Presbyterians, 115; Testament, 238-239. 
Number of verses, chapters, and books in the Bible, 
236. 

O 

Old School Baptists, 37 to 40; Presbyterians, 115; 

Testament, 238-239. 
Organization of meetings, 214 to 216. 

P 

Parliamentary law, 214 to 22^^, 

Paul, death of, 244; thorn, 240. 

Pentateuch, what is, 235. 

Periods, in Christianity, 201. 

Peter, 245. 

Persecutions, of Baptists by Zwingli, 18; of Bap- 
tists by Romanists, 19; of Roger Williams by Puri- 
tans, 20 ; of Huguenots by Romanists, 109 ; of Pres- 
byterians by Cromwell and Romanists, 11 1. 

Philip, 244. 

Prayer meetings, how to conduct, 149 to 157. 

Presbyterian church, origins of, 106-107; derivation 
of title, 106; Calvin's work for, 108; Knox and 
Scotch, 109; General Assembly in Scotland of, 109; 
troubles of Scotch, 109 ; formulation of Westminster 
Confession, no; union and split with Cromwell, 
iio-iii ; persecuted by Cromwell, in ; founding in 
America and first churches there, in to 113; Fran- 
cis Makemie and^ 113; started in the South, 113; 
first American presbytery, 113; during Revolution, 
114; spread of, 114; union with Congregationalists, 
114-115; split into schools, 115; Civil War period, 
115; revision of confession, 115-116; reunion with 
Cumberland church, 116; statistics of, 120-121 ; col- 
leges and missions, 121; belief, 121 to 123; govern- 
ment of, 124 to 126; method of admission to, 126- 



286 Index * 

127; method of baptism, 127 to 135; Lord's Supper, 
135 to 142; discipline, 142 to 144; setting apart dea- 
cons and elders, 261 to 269. 

Presbytery, 125. 

Primitive Baptists, 37; doctrines, 38; history of, 39; 
footwashing by, 39-40. 

Q 

Quarterly Conference, 81-82. 

S 

Salem, 19. 

Session, church, 125. 

Shortest verse in Bible^ 236; chapter, 22i^\ book, 236. 

Simon, 245. 

Sin, against the Holy Ghost, 243. 

South, Baptists get foothold, 20; Methodists plant 
faith, y2\ Presbyterians, 113. 

Southern Baptists unite, 22; Methodists, 76; Pres- 
byterians unite, 119. 

Sprinkling, in early church, 16; in Methodist church, 

79. 
Statistics, Baptists, 22-2-^^ ; Disciples, 49 ; Methodists, 

76; Presbyterians, 120. 

Sunday-Schools, how to conduct, 178 to 196. 

Synod, 125. 

T 

Testament, New, 238-239; Old, 238-239. 
Thomas, 245. 
Thorn, Paul's, 240. 

Trials, in Baptist church, 32-33 ; in Methodist church, 
104. 

W 

Watch meetings, 164 to 167. 
Wesley, Charles, 66. 

Wesley, John, 63 ; birth and parentage, 65 ; escapes 
death, 65-66; education, 66; ordination, 66; joins 



<i> Index 287 

"Methodist" band, 66; years of preparation; 67; 
goes to Georgia, 67 ; influenced by Moravians, 67 ; 
begins preaching with Whitefield, 67 ; sets up foun- 
dry meeting house, 68 ; head of Methodist faith, 69 ; 
immense labors, 69; spHt with Whitefield, 70; his 
helpers, 70; death, 70; anxiety over church, 70-71; 
consecrates Coke, 74; criticized, 74. 

Westminster Assembly, no. 

Westminster Confession, formulated, no; standard 
of Presbyterian faith, in; adopted by Presbyterians 
in America, 113; revision of, 114/ 115, 118, 122. 

Whitefield, George, works with Wesley, 67; split 
with Wesley, 70. 

Williams, Roger, founds Providence, 20. 

Work, how to, 230. 

Z 

ZwiNGLi, persecutes Baptists, 18. 



KP« 



13^907 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



0^ ^ 



